24 January,2024 11:29 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Representative Image
Before the 2024 Lok Sabha and Maharashtra assembly elections, Maharashtra has seen a significant surge in voter registration, with 4,12,416 new voters. The proportion of voters aged 18 to 29 has increased by around one per cent since the draft electoral rolls were issued in October 2023. The state's total eligible voters now number roughly 9.12 crore, per PTI.
According to the report, the special summary revision, which began on October 27, 2023 and ended on January 23, 2024, attempted to update electoral rolls via a door-to-door survey operation. Chief Electoral Officer Shrikant Deshpande emphasised the huge growth in new voters, particularly in the 18 to 29 age group, while the 40 to 80-plus age group had a 3 per cent fall.
The final electoral roster currently has 9,12,44,679 voters, an increase of 1,01,869 male voters, 3,08,306 female voters, and 572 third-gender voters. The electoral roll now has a female-to-male ratio of 922, up from 917, the report added.
The age range of 18 to 19 years saw the accession of 6,70,302 electors, while the 20 to 29 year bracket welcomed 8,33,496 new electors. The editing process also resulted in the removal of 11,60,696 deceased electors, 9,05,559 entries with identical pictures, and 2,54,460 entries with identical names and other information.
Shrikant Deshpande advised people to check their information on the Voter Service Portal website and encouraged individuals who were missing from the electoral rolls to fill out Form 6 to safeguard their right to vote, PTI reported.
Meanwhile, recently, senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala sai that given the current political environment in Maharashtra, Congress and Maha Vikas Aghadi will win most seats in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. He was addressing media in Gadchiroli and added that discussions on seat-sharing among MVA partners--Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (Sharad Pawar faction)--was in its final stage.
It is pertinent to note that Maharashtra sends 48 MPs, the second highest after Uttar Pradesh's 80 to the Lok Sabha. In previous Lok Sabha polls, the BJP won in 23 constituencies, followed by undivided Shiv Sena, which bagged 18 seats. The NCP had got four seats, one seat each went to the Congress, AIMIM and an Independent candidate.
With agency inputs
