The Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) has officially released the final, Prabhag-wise voter lists for the upcoming civic body elections, concluding an extensive verification drive that scrutinized approximately 55,000 voter entries across the city.
Large-Scale Verification Aims for Accurate Electoral Roll
This crucial exercise, which commenced after the draft rolls were published on November 20, was designed to streamline voter distribution and ensure all eligible citizens are assigned to their correct electoral wards, known as prabhags. The civic elections are scheduled for January 15.
Officials reported that the Mangalwari zone witnessed the highest volume of corrections. It was followed by the Nehru Nagar, Gandhibagh, Lakadganj, and Hanuman Nagar zones in terms of amendments made. The revisions involved two primary actions: reinstating names of voters who were present during the last Assembly elections but omitted from the draft lists, and relocating voters who were erroneously mapped to incorrect wards.
Tackling Duplicate Entries and Field Verification
A significant challenge addressed during the process was the issue of duplicate voter registrations. Data from the State Election Commission indicated that Nagpur had about 47,500 voters possessing two voter identity cards, leading to nearly 95,000 duplicate entries. The NMC's election department has been scanning and cross-checking its database, with 42,000 such cases verified so far.
Investigations revealed that 59% of these cases were individuals registered at two separate locations. To resolve this, zone-level teams have been directed to conduct door-to-door visits. Their task is to confirm the correct place of residence and prabhag mapping for these voters, a step aimed at minimizing discrepancies before the booth-wise lists are published.
Public Feedback and Scrutiny in East Nagpur
Following the release of the draft lists, the NMC invited suggestions and objections from the public until December 3. The civic body received 1,299 representations from citizens and public representatives. All inputs were examined zone-wise before finalizing the rolls.
The revision process also led to heightened scrutiny in parts of East Nagpur, where objections were raised concerning voters being listed in neighboring prabhags. Based on the representations received, the election department ordered field verification in select localities. This was done to ensure voters remain linked to their traditional wards as per official boundaries.
The final rolls have established the total electorate strength in Nagpur at 24,83,112 voters.
Next Steps: Booth Locations and Final Lists
With the Prabhag-wise lists now finalized, the election schedule progresses to the next phase. The locations of polling booths are scheduled to be announced on December 20. Due to population growth over the past seven years, the number of polling booths is expected to rise significantly—from around 2,400 in the 2017 civic elections to nearly 3,000 this time.
The all-important booth-wise voter lists will be released on December 27. Officials stated that, on average, each booth is expected to cater to approximately 900 voters, with a permissible variation of about 10%.
Election officials confirm that the focus will now shift to last-mile verification and meticulous booth-level planning to ensure a smooth and orderly polling process on election day.
