EC drive to woo young voters

New Delhi: Seeking to bridge the shortfall in the number of electors, a special month-long drive to enrol young voters of Delhi, particularly those in the age group of 18-19 years, will be conducted by the Election Commission starting from July 1.

According to the Delhi chief electoral officer (CEO), the shortfall in this age group is significant as at present only 1.75 lakh voters are registered in this age group, whereas as per the 2011 census, the population in this age group is over six lakh.

“The objective of the drive is enrolment of eligible young electors, particularly in 18-19 years age group (extendable up to 21 years of age) as on January 1, 17. Booth level officers (BLOs) will conduct door-to-door visit to households for initiating registration of such electors,” a senior official at the office of the chief electoral officer (CEO) said.

“The number of electors falling in 18-19 years age group, who are registered in the electoral roll of Delhi, is 1,10,639 as on the date of the final publication of electoral roll. Presently, there are 1,75,197 electors of 18-19 years age group, registered in the electoral roll of Delhi. The shortfall in this category of electors is still very high considering that over six lakh people are projected of this age group as per the 2011 Census,” according to the CEO’s office.

The senior official said that special camps would be organised on July 9 and July 23 at every polling station under the supervision of the respective district election officer/district magistrate.