The Election Commission of Chhattisgarh has released its second voter list, revealing a remarkable increase of over 7 lakh voters in the state. This significant surge comes in the wake of the removal of approximately 2.9 lakh voters from the initial list. The process of adding new voter names will remain open until the nomination period.
Chhattisgarh’s Chief Electoral Officer, Reena Baba Saheb Kangale, disclosed that a door-to-door campaign was launched on August 1 to finalize the voter list. Between August 2 and September 11, voter names were added, and claims and objections were processed. On October 4, the final voter list was published, encompassing 24,109 polling booths.
She stated that voters can access information on the CEO Chhattisgarh website. During the current voter revision, 10,10,600 new voters were added, while 2,90,874 names were deleted based on Form 7. Consequently, the state has seen an increase of 7,19,825 voters.
Among these, 7,23,771 voters fall within the 18 to 19 age group, marking their first time participation in the electoral process. Initially, their number stood at 4,25,698, indicating an increase of 2,98,073 new voters. Additionally, the state boasts 18,68,636 first-time voters aged between 18 and 22.
For voters aged 80 and above, as well as those with disabilities, a special provision allows them to cast their votes from the comfort of their homes. A dedicated polling team will visit the residences of eligible voters in these categories to collect their postal ballots. Applicants over 80 years of age must apply within five days of the election notification. Home-based voting assistance will be provided to individuals with more than 40 per cent disability.
It’s worth noting that, according to past data from the Election Commission, elderly and disabled voters often prefer to visit polling stations to exercise their voting rights. Recent elections in various states witnessed significant turnout from these demographics.
The Chief Electoral Officer emphasized that new voter registrations can continue until ten days before the last date for filing nominations, after which the voter list will be locked. Additionally, applications for address changes (Form 8) will also be accepted until this deadline.
To obtain the e-EPIK card, voters can follow these steps: After their name and mobile number are registered in the voter list, they can visit the Election Commission’s Voter Service Portal (https://voters.eci.gov.in). If a mobile number is not yet registered, individuals can add it via an amendment in Form 8. Once the mobile number is registered, they can promptly download the e-EPIK card from the dedicated portal.
