Maharashtra chief electoral officer S Chockalingam addresses officials in Nashik on Thursday
Chockalingam reviewed preparations at a regional meeting held at the divisional commissioner’s office in Nashik and said the first phase of the door-to-door verification drive was completed within the extended deadline. Special care should be taken to prevent any misunderstanding among citizens regarding absentee, shifted, deceased or duplicate voter entries,” Chockalingam said. Chockalingam told election officers to proactively communicate accurate information to citizens once the draft rolls were published and ensure prompt disposal of objections and claims. “If there are objections regarding excluded voters, officials must resolve them immediately and inform affected citizens to submit Form 6 after completing the necessary documentation,” he said. “Digital platforms should be utilised for serving notices to excluded voters, and immediate responses must be given to public queries to curb the spread of rumours,” Chockalingam said.
He directed officials to remain meticulous when processing voters’ claims and objections. “The administration must ensure complete accuracy in the second phase. With the first phase complete, the focus will now shift to finalising and publishing draft electoral rolls. The CEO also directed officials to leverage digital platforms while serving notices to voters whose names have been omitted and respond quickly to public queries to prevent misinformation.