Only 6 lakh electors applied for Special Intensive Revision voter list in Maharashtra despite draft roll excluding 2 crore voters.
That is a worrying gap. Officials from chief electoral office in Maharashtra are waiting for Election Commission to respond after Supreme Court pointed out that it never approved the modified Form 6.
If Election Commission cancels the modified form, officials expect a big jump in applications. Here is why. The modified form demands a declaration linking every applicant to the 2002-03 voter list. Many people do not have that proof ready, so they skipped applying altogether.
"If this declaration is removed, it is possible that they may apply," said a senior official from the state.
Where applications came from
Data shows 6,04,871 voter applications were received in the last month. Malegaon Central in Nashik saw the highest numbers at 8,458, followed by Jalgaon City with 6,782. On the other hand, Alibag in Raigad recorded the lowest at just 490 applications.
Migration and the lack of an upcoming election are also blamed for the low response. Political parties did not push hard enough to get people to fill forms, officials said.
Note: The deadline for SIR applications in Maharashtra is October 12.