Only 97,400 voters are enrolled across four districts, while a similar number of graduates are believed to have missed registration. Universities and educational institutions estimate the districts have over 4 lakh graduates. Hubballi: With the West graduates’ constituency election concluding Friday, debate has begun over a system allegedly keeping graduates from voting.
Because enrolment is mandatory every time, many voters, especially graduates, stay away in the current situation.
Santosh Nargund, senior advisor, Janaagraha Centre for Citizenship and Democracy, Bengaluru, said online registration is available for general elections but not council polls, where most voters are graduates. The need to enrol afresh for every election, the lack of online enrolment, and alleged official negligence are cited as reasons, renewing demands that the Election Commission maintain the graduate voters’ list as in general elections. “It holds the SVEEP campaign to create awareness among voters during general elections, but it keeps mum for council polls. Political parties focus only on schools, colleges, courts, banks, bigger companies and institutions, where graduates are in abundance, to motivate them to enrol in the list.
There is a need to bring an amendment to the Representation of the People Act, 1951 to maintain voters’ lists for council polls and online enrolment for newcomers,” he opined.
Congress candidate Mohan Limbikai said organising unorganised graduates was difficult. BJP candidate SV Sankanur said the Election Commission should consider a renewal option for already enrolled voters. MLC and former legislative council chairman Basavaraj Horatti said enrolment for every election was difficult for graduates, teachers and other concerned voters. “It has been a long-pending demand to scrap this system, but the Election Commission is not considering it”, he said.
“There is no agency to organise them or at least have data of them. Lakhs of students are becoming graduates every year. Once they become graduates, they remain as graduates like doctors, advocates, engineers, etc. However, the Election Commission is still following age-old laws and allowing non-graduates to contest in graduate constituency polls. “Providing physical documents and photos can be made mandatory for fresh voters. Using information technology, the Election Commission should upgrade its data and simplify the process to involve a larger number of graduates, teachers and concerned voters for council election,” he asserted.