CUTTACK: Cutting across party lines, leaders of all major political parties have expressed displeasure over the manner in which the special summary revision of electoral rolls for the year 2007 is being done in Cuttack district.

As part of the Election Commission notification, the final publication of the electoral rolls of the district is to be published on February 8, 2007. Accordingly the district administration has published the draft roll on December 8 and invited claims and objections from eligible voters to enrol their names. The district administration has launched a special campaign for voter enrolment.

But, leaders of various parties at a preparatory meeting with the administration allege that the campaign for revision of electoral rolls is not being properly done as a result many illiterate voters residing in rural and slum areas are not able to enrol their names.

Publicity material

Cuttack CPI(M) unit general secretary Jaydev Jena pointed out that adequate publicity material like posters and leaflets and announcement through public address system must be made in slum areas. Shashi Bhusan Das of Congress said that the revision of rolls had become a `farce' in Cuttack district, as genuine voters were unable to find their names in the roll while many bogus voters have entered their names in it.

Pradeep Behera of CPI said that adequate application forms were not available for fresh voters to make their appeal.

District magistrate Deo Ranjan Singh assured the leaders that efforts were being made by the district administration to address their grievances.

He, however, appealed to political parties to be vigilant of the attempts made by some foreign nationals to register their names in the electoral rolls.

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