'Focus will be on enrolment of physically challenged voters'

The focus during the 'special summary revision of photo electoral rolls' in Mumbai will be on enrolment of physically disabled voters, a senior official today said.

The drive will taken up from September 1 to October 31, said Mumbai City District (MCD) Collector Shivaji Jondhale.

At present, only 543 physically disabled voters have been identified in the district, and to increase the enrolment of eligible disabled persons in voter list, the administration will seek the help of voluntary organisations, he said.

"To enable physically challenged voters to cast their ballot in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, special ramps will be put up at polling booths, polling booths will have elevators, and shall have "Dolis" (palanquins) to take the physically challenged persons or senior citizens up to the polling booth," he said.

Draft electoral rolls will be published on September 1, claims and objections will be accepted between September 1 to October 31, claims and objections will be disposed of on November 30 and final electoral rolls will be published on January 4, 2019, Jondhale said.

Between May 20 to July 31, officials visited 5.89 lakh households, and 11,470 double entries (voters' names appearing in two places) were detected and names of 18,862 deceased voters were detected, he said.

He bemoaned the lack of cooperation from voters from upmarket localities such as Malabar Hill where officials are sometimes denied entry in housing societies.

"The authorities then have to seek cooperation from the society secretary. But voters from lower and middle class localities and even slums are more cooperative," he noted.