Surge at voter facilitation centres across state increases wait time

VOter Facilitation Centres crossways mysore ar experiencing mounting crowds to defer the numbering forms under the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, leaving many applicants waiting for hours to complete procedures and raising complaints about inadequate assistance at several locations, officials said on Wednesday.Voters have been gathering at facilitation centres to trace their names and those of family members in the 2002 electoral roll, complete enumeration forms and seek guidance on the documents required for submission. The increase in footfall has stretched available resources, with several applicants alleging that Booth Level Officers are unable to attend to everyone seeking help.Many voters said locating details from the 2002 electoral roll has become the most time consuming part of the exercise, while the limited availability of officials has added to delays. “I have been standing here for nearly three hours. I came to trace my family’s details in the 2002 electoral roll and submit the enumeration form, but there are too few people to guide us. Every counter has a long queue, and many of us are leaving without getting our doubts cleared,” said a voter waiting at a Voter Facilitation Centre in Cooke Town.The revision exercise began on June 30 and will continue until July 29. The Election Commission has deployed more than 59,000 Booth Level Officers across Karnataka to conduct house-to-house verification and collect enumeration forms from more than 5.5 crore electors. Voter Facilitation Centres have been established to assist those requiring help with the process.As confusion over retrieving older electoral records persisted, Karnataka chief electoral officer V Anbukkumar last week appealed to voters not to delay filing their forms while searching for historical information.“Submit the signed enumeration form with the available information. This will ensure that your name is considered for inclusion in the electoral roll,” Anbukkumar said, adding that any remaining details could be provided later if required.The Election Commission has also initiated disciplinary action against some field officials during the exercise. Last week, the Chief Electoral Officer’s office issued show cause notices to 35 Booth Level Officers after verifying complaints that some had distributed forms in groups instead of carrying out mandatory house-to-house visits as required under Election Commission guidelines.The implementation of the revision has also drawn objections from elected representatives. In a representation to the Election Commission, MLC Ramesh Babu contended that the number of Voter Facilitation Centres was insufficient to meet public demand. “Many eligible households had yet to receive enumeration forms and urged the Commission to ensure that administrative shortcomings did not result in voters being left out of the electoral roll,” he said.Election authorities have maintained that the revision is proceeding according to schedule and have continued urging electors to participate even if they are unable to immediately retrieve details from the 2002 electoral roll. Officials have said documentation issues can be addressed during scrutiny after forms are submitted.The Commission has also acknowledged the demands placed on officials carrying out the revision. On Tuesday, it approved a one-time honorarium of ₹6,000 each for Booth Level Officers and BLO supervisors engaged in the Special Intensive Revision exercise.As queues lengthen across Voter Facilitation Centres, election officials are working to complete one of Karnataka’s largest electoral verification exercises before the submission window closes later this month.