Voter list landscape changes in Uttarakhand following SIR

Dehradun. After the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) campaign of voter list in Uttarakhand, a new picture has emerged regarding the number of voters. Compared to the voter list present at the time of 2022 assembly elections, this time twice as many names have been removed from the voter list in the plains as compared to the hilly areas. After this change, the discussion has intensified regarding the number of voters and amendments in the voter list in different areas of the state.

The Special Intensive Revision Drive is aimed at making the voter list more accurate and up-to-date. During this process, the names of voters who have died, who have permanently moved to another place or whose names are registered at more than one place are examined. Along with this, the process of including eligible new voters in the list is also done.

The data revealed after the completion of the campaign in Uttarakhand has shown a big difference between the hilly and plain areas. In comparison to the 2022 assembly elections, the number of names removed from the voter list in the plain areas is said to be almost double that of the hilly areas. This also reveals the situation of population movement in the state and changes in the voter list.

The geographical conditions of Uttarakhand are quite different from other states. A large part of the state is mountainous, while population pressure is higher in the plain areas like Dehradun, Haridwar and Udham Singh Nagar. Due to employment, education, business and better facilities, the movement of people in these areas is also relatively high. In such a situation, it is considered important to reveal more changes in the plain areas during the revision of the voter list.

There can be many reasons for removing a person’s name from the voter list. These may include death of a voter, permanent move to another place or enrollment at more than one place. Therefore, all the names removed from the list cannot be linked to any one reason. In each case the records and verification available as part of the election process are important.

The new situation that has emerged after SIR also has political importance. There are a total of 70 assembly seats in Uttarakhand and the margin of victory and defeat in many constituencies remains limited. In such a situation, a major change in the voter list can also affect the electoral mathematics. Political parties can study the names added and removed from the voter list at their own level.

The number of voters in plain assembly constituencies is usually higher than in many hilly seats. Population expansion and development of new residential areas is continuously taking place in these areas. On the other hand, the number of voters moving from one place to another due to employment or other reasons may also be higher. This is the reason why updating the voter list from time to time is considered necessary for the electoral system.

Hilly areas have their own challenges. The trend of people from many hill districts of Uttarakhand moving to plain cities or other states for employment and education has been in discussion for a long time. Despite this, the fact that more names have been removed in the review than in the plains is attracting attention. However, to understand the real reasons behind this, analysis of region-wise and category-wise data will be necessary.

The process of special intensive vetting is considered important in the electoral system, because the fairness of elections largely depends on the correct voter list. Remaining names of dead or transferred voters in the list may raise questions. Similarly, wrongly removing the name of an eligible citizen is also a serious matter. Therefore, the election authorities have the responsibility of protecting the rights of eligible voters along with the correctness of the list.

Scrutiny of the final voter list becomes important for political parties and voters also. Citizens who have doubts about their names can check their position in the voter list as per the prescribed procedure. If the name of any eligible voter is not in the list, then an application can be made to add the name as per the election rules.

This change in the voter list will also be important for the upcoming elections in Uttarakhand. Changes in the number of voters due to rapidly increasing population and continuous migration or transfer in the plain areas can affect the strategy of political parties. In assembly constituencies where a large number of names have been removed, checking of voter lists at the booth level may become even more important.

At the same time, the issue related to voter number in hilly areas is also linked to the demographic situation of the state. Migration from the mountains has been a social and political issue in Uttarakhand for a long time. In such a situation, studying the changes in the voter list can also be useful in future to understand the regional distribution of population.

At present, the picture that has emerged after the SIR campaign has made it clear that there has been a significant change in the voter list of Uttarakhand as compared to the 2022 assembly elections. What has attracted the most attention is the fact that names of almost twice as many voters have been deleted in the plains as compared to the hilly areas. Now only on the basis of the final voter list and area-wise detailed data, it will be clear how much impact this change has on the electoral equations of the state.