Residents on Sunday made a beeline to voter enrolment camps in the city and submitted 40,774 applications for inclusion in the voters list in the 16 Assembly segments.
On Saturday, District Election officials received 55,052 applications.
With the announcement of the Lok Sabha elections expected in the first week of March, residents were in a scramble to get their names registered in the electoral rolls.
At the camps, several residents complained that their names were not on electoral rolls even after submission of application forms months ago. Many names were reportedly deleted from the rolls by election officials after they shifted homes last year.
Screening electors
The District Election Office has directed officials to screen bogus entry on the electoral rolls. As a result, officials have deleted many names from the rolls after visiting the previous rental accommodation. Officials said over 49% of residents in Chennai depended on rental accommodation and changing the address on the rolls remained a challenge for many.
A resident of Reddipalayam Street in Ward 91 of Mogappair West submitted an application for change of address on October 14, 2018, from Padi. But the change has not been made on the rolls. On Sunday, officials at the camp asked the resident to visit the Maduravoyal Taluk Office.
“What is the use of such camps when the officials concerned are not able to make the changes at the camp,” she asks.
A resident said officials had been redirecting him to other camps in the vicinity without guiding him properly. “Three of the booths near my house where the camps were held did not list the area or street of our apartment. One of them redirected to the other and then to another,” he said.
“Many electors who submitted applications have not been included in the rolls. At least 25 names in our area were not on the rolls,” said P.V. Tamilselvan, former councillor in Mogappair.
Topping the list
The largest number of applications on Sunday was received from the Dr. R.K. Nagar Assembly constituency. As many as 6,389 voters submitted applications for inclusion of names on the rolls, transposition of entry and correction of particulars on Sunday.
Booths in the city received 11,036 applications from first-time voters on Sunday. The number of applications received from voters above the age of 20 on Sunday for inclusion of names was 21,287.
Corporation Commissioner and Chennai District Electoral Officer G. Prakash said Form 6 for inclusion of names could be submitted at any point of time before the notification of elections.
Officials said most residents who had been complaining had not checked the supplementary rolls. “Booth-level officers have to be sensitised to help such voters,” said an official.