In what is likely to be a pioneering move in the country, Kasaragod has introduced ‘election grama sabhas’ to update voter list.
Under this scheme, all polling booths across the Kasaragod constituency will convene a grama sabha, where booth-level officers will read out the voter list. Political party representatives and panchayat authorities can raise complaints and identify corrections to be made. Once the additions and exclusions are identified, forms 6, 7, and 8 are filled and submitted to the booth level officers (BLOs) for further action.
Led by District Collector K. Inbasekar, the inaugural election grama sabha was convened at Government Higher Secondary School, Shiria. The event witnessed the reading of the voter list for the 101st booth in Shiria, the 15th ward of the Manjeswaram constituency. Election grama sabhas were held in all 983 polling stations in the district.
This initiative marks the culmination of a voter list cleansing campaign, where assistant returning officers oversee grama sabhas within the seven Assembly constituency limits of Kasaragod Lok Sabha constituency. Furthermore, members of the public are encouraged to visit polling stations and participate in the process.
The grama sabha, comprising key stakeholders such as LSGD Joint Director, Subcollector, RDO, AROs, EROs, and Sveep Nodal Officer, is spearheaded by the Collector. The Collector emphasised the objective of eliminating ineligible voters from the list and boosting the polling percentage.
He reiterated the district’s commitment to cleanse the voter list, ensuring the removal of deceased individuals and non-residents. The aim is to elevate the polling percentage to 90%.
