In a major transparency drive ahead of the final electoral roll publication, the district administrations of Ghaziabad and Gautam Buddh Nagar (Noida) have made public the polling station-wise lists of voters categorized as absent, shifted, or dead. This move allows residents to verify if their names have been incorrectly flagged before the list is finalized.
Massive Clean-Up of Voter Lists Underway
The lists, prepared based on verification data collected by Booth-Level Officers (BLOs) until December 10, reveal a significant number of discrepancies. Ghaziabad has identified over 10 lakh voters under the Absent, Shifted, or Dead (ASD) category. Meanwhile, Noida has found 4.5 lakh voters in a similar bracket. These names are slated for deletion from the draft electoral roll unless objections are filed by the voters concerned.
Saurabh Bhatt, Ghaziabad's Additional District Magistrate (Revenue) and Deputy District Election Officer, stated that the list was uploaded in a searchable format on the district's official website to ensure transparency. "The list includes voters who were found to have shifted from their enlisted addresses, have died, or appear as duplicate entries," he explained. He urged eligible voters who find their names on the list to immediately contact their BLO, fill out an enumeration form, and obtain an acknowledgement receipt.
Noida's Detailed Breakdown and District-Wide Figures
In Noida, the ASD voter list is also available on the district website. Additional District Election Officer Atul Kumar emphasized that the objective is to let voters verify their status and correct any mistakes found during the house-to-house verification process.
A closer look at the data within the Gautam Buddh Nagar district shows Noida accounting for the highest share of ASD entries. Out of its 7.7 lakh voters, a substantial 27% have been flagged. The breakdown is as follows:
- Over 1% marked as deceased
- 11% as untraceable
- 13% as permanently shifted
- More than 1% as duplicate entries
In comparison, Dadri, with 7.3 lakh voters, has 19.5% in the ASD bracket. Jewar has marked 19% of its 3.7 lakh voters in the category.
Final Push for Verification Before December 31 Deadline
The publication follows a directive from the Election Commission of India (ECI) to extend the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) enumeration period in six states and Union Territories, including Uttar Pradesh. The state's enumeration window was extended from December 11 to December 26, pushing the publication of the draft electoral rolls to December 31 from the earlier date of December 16.
Last week, district administrations instructed BLOs to conduct a fresh round of verification for voters marked in the ASD category. Officers were told to set up verification camps at their respective booths, publicly announce the names of tagged voters, and confirm their status before finalizing the draft list.
Officials in both districts cited challenges like high urban mobility, a large population living in rented accommodations, and frequent address changes as major hurdles in the verification process. Many voters were not available during house visits due to work commitments or temporary relocation.
According to ECI data, Noida has digitized over 75% of the enumeration forms and mapped 86% of voters with the 2023 base electoral rolls so far. Ghaziabad has completed the digitization of 65% of the forms and mapped 40% of voters.
