The reasons for the rapid increase in the number of voters in Uttarakhand in the last 10 years will now be investigated at the state level. On the orders of the Election Commission of India, the State Election Commission has written a letter to the District Election Officers and ordered a quick investigation by forming committees at the district level, assembly constituency level and polling station level in every district.
During the Uttarakhand assembly elections in the year 2022, Dehradun-based think tank SDC Foundation released a detailed report based on Election Commission data regarding the unprecedented increase in the number of voters in the state in the last 10 years. The foundation compared the voter turnout with the voter turnout in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Manipur and Goa. Out of all these states, Uttarakhand had the highest increase in the number of voters.
EC orders probe into ‘unusual’ increase in Uttarakhand voter count
Based on this report, former IFS officer and President of Uttarakhand Raksha Morcha, Dr V K Bahuguna had written letters about this to the Prime Minister and the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand before the Chief Election Commissioner and continued to demand an inquiry into the matter. He had said that this abnormal increase in the number of voters posed a threat to the cultural integrity of Uttarakhand. The carrying capacity of Uttarakhand has been exhausted many years ago.
Finally after about 10 months, the Election Commission of India, taking cognizance of this matter, has ordered the State Election Commission to investigate the matter in the entire state. On this basis, the State Election Commission has sent orders to all District Magistrates and District Election Officers to form committees in the district, assembly constituency and polling station.
Based on the report of SDC Foundation, the committee to be formed at the district level for investigation will have four members including Deputy District Election Officer. The assembly constituency level committee will have four members including the Electoral Registration Officer and the booth level committee will have five members including the Patwari nominated by the Deputy District Magistrate. The State Election Commission has asked to complete the investigation and submit the report by February 28, 2023.
Among the 70 seats in the state, maximum number of voters have increased in Dharampur assembly
Anup Nautiyal, President, SDC Foundation, expressed satisfaction over the Election Commission ordering a probe into the increase in the number of voters in Uttarakhand, which is much higher than in other states. He said that the seats where the number of voters has increased the most are all plain seats. Among the 70 seats in the state, maximum number of voters have increased in Dharampur assembly constituency of Dehradun district. In the last 10 years, there has been an increase of 72 percent in the number of voters in this assembly constituency.
Apart from Dharampur, the top 10 constituencies of Rudrapur, Doiwala, Sahaspur, Kaladhungi, Kashipur, Raipur, Kichha, Bhel Ranipur and Rishikesh saw the highest increase in voter turnout ranging from 41 per cent to 72 per cent. Nautiyal said that due to such a large number of people possibly coming from outside and settling in Uttarakhand, there is a lot of pressure on the carrying capacity of the cities of the state. Most of the cities in the state are already bearing loads far beyond their carrying capacity. Due to this, the lack of civic facilities and various types of urban problems are continuously increasing. Nautiyal has expressed apprehension that this increase in the number of voters may also be related to the elections to the local municipal bodies to be held in the next nine months.
There are eight Municipal Corporations in Uttarakhand namely Dehradun, Haridwar, Roorkee, Rishikesh, Kotdwar, Haldwani, Kashipur and Rudrapur. He said that the biggest increase in the number of voters has been recorded in these eight cities and their districts.
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