BJD seeks correction of  polling booth boundaries

ROURKELA: The BJD’s Rourkela town unit president, Rashmibala Mishra, has proposed micro level corrections of polling booth boundary lines. Her proposal comes in the wake of erratic voters’ list adversely reflecting on fair polls and also denying voting rights to genuine voters of Rourkela Assembly constituency. Recently, the State Election Commission (SEC) too had asked the State Government to complete delimitation of wards by January 2018.

Mishra said the BJD has decided to draw the attention of the SEC and Odisha Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) towards odification/reformation of ward wise polling areas for the upcoming Rourkela Municipal Corporation (RMC) and general elections in 2019 for total coverage of eligible voters. She pointed out that under RMC limits, the enumeration block/ census block boundary lines and ward boundary lines have been notified, but in the last Municipality election and general elections, demarcation of polling areas with respective booths were not properly arranged.

Mishra said there are no compact boundary lines of polling booths and due to faulty tagging of voters to distant booths,  voting has considerably declined. She said for general elections in Ward 1, Kishantola and Pradhanpali areas are tagged to booth 1, but for Municipal election, part of Pradhanpali, Tulsitola and Bandposh were tagged to booth 1. Similarly, Bandposh and Tulsitola areas are linked to booth 2 for
general elections, but for Municipal election, part of Bankia and part of Quarry Siding areas are tagged to booth 2.

Mishra said formation of compact boundary lines of polling booths along with judicious relocation of voters are required to stop harassment of voters on polling day and also weed out chances of manipulation of vote casting. Panposh Sub-Collector H S Behera said the proposal for correction of booth boundary lines would be sent to appropriate authorities for approval. Meanwhile, special revision of electoral rolls is underway.