Lucknow, Oct 17 The Election Commission (EC) held a special drive across Uttar Pradesh on Saturday to enrol eligible citizens, particularly women and first-time voters, in the electoral roll, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Navdeep Rinwa said.
Booth-level officers (BLOs) helped eligible citizens fill Form 6 to register as voters. The drive aimed to ensure that no eligible person was left out of the electoral roll, Rinwa said.
The CEO inspected polling booths at the St Agnes Loreto Day School in Lucknow Cantonment and the Sanskrit Vidyapeeth in Gomti Nagar, Lucknow Central, to review the implementation of the drive.
District election officers and other senior officials also visited polling booths across the state to supervise the exercise.
During the inspections, officials interacted with BLOs and common people.
They checked whether copies of the electoral roll, supplementary lists and sufficient Form-6 applications were available at the booths, the CEO said.
He said increasing the elector-population ratio and the gender ratio in the state requires greater public awareness and participation. The booth-level agents (BLAs) appointed by recognised political parties also have an important role to play in the exercise, he added.
The CEO also directed district election officers and electoral registration officers to take legal action against those found deliberately submitting false statements or declarations through Form 7, which is used to object to entries in the electoral roll.
Under section 31 of the Representation of the People Act, knowingly making a false statement or declaration in writing in connection with the preparation, revision or correction of the electoral roll, or the inclusion or deletion of an entry, is punishable with imprisonment of up to a year, a fine, or both, the CEO said.
He said the objections filed through Form 7 would be scrutinised and disposed of in accordance with the rules. If an objection is found to be false or fabricated during verification by the electoral registration officer, legal action will be initiated against the applicant under the relevant legal provisions.
The next special drive will be held at all polling booths across the state on October 24.
Rinwa urged voters to check their names and those of their family members in the electoral roll during the next drive. Eligible citizens whose names are missing can submit Form 6 to their BLOs or apply online through the EC’s portal or the ECINET mobile application.
(PTI News)
