CHENNAI: The year-end holiday mood has proved a dampener for voter name inclusion across the State, with applicants staying away from special camps set up for the purpose due to travel commitments and challenges with online applications caused by name mismatches.
The data released by the Election Commission of India over the past few days shows poor turnout, as people found it difficult to travel to the camps in person.
The number of Form 6 applications, prescribed for inclusion of names in the electoral rolls, dropped sharply between December 31 and January 1. While a total of 7.35 lakh applications were submitted through physical and online modes between December 19 and December 31, only 2,616 forms were received across the State on January 1.
Special camps, which emerged as the main support for election officials to boost enrolment, left them waiting due to the holiday window. Camps held on December 27 and 28 led to a significant increase in applications.
Even though year-end didn't help, special camps were helpful for both the Election Department and the public in facilitating overall voter name inclusion, an Election Department official said.
District administrations are planning to conduct another round of special camps on January 3 and 4, providing an opportunity to those who missed the year-end bus, which remains the only hope of increasing voter enrolment.
Around 5.5 lakh applications were submitted across the State during the two special camps alone.