Pune: Villages are racing ahead in digitisation of voter records under Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, with booth level officers (BLOs) attributing the sharp difference to a fundamental factor—people in villages know each other, while urban residents often do not even know who lives next door.Data from the SIR status report as of August 9 shows that 53.04 lakh of Pune district’s 90.8 lakh electoral records, or 65.4%, have been digitised. Enumeration forms have been distributed to 87.15 lakh voters.Rural constituencies are significantly ahead. Baramati has digitised 86.4% of its voter records, followed by Ambegaon at 86.07%, Junnar at 85.06%, Khed-Alandi at 83.28%, Daund at 82.46% and Indapur at 81.85%. Maval has reached 75.4%, Bhor 77.2% and Shirur 75.05%.In contrast, the pace is slower in urban constituencies. Among Pune Municipal Corporation areas, Kasba Peth is at 61.81%, the highest digitisation is done, followed by Wadgaon Sheri at 57.51%, Pune Cantonment at 54.83%, Parvati at 53.76%, Hadapsar 49.74%.,Kothrud 48.11% and Khadakwasla 47.41%.In the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation area, Bhosari is leading with 70.12%, followed by Chinchwad at 56.04% and Pimpri at 55.95%Deputy election officer Minal Kalaskar told TOI, “Our BLOs are working throughout the day. Most are doing dual duties. If people don’t respond positively to them or their calls, what can they do? We need citizens’ participation, without which, we won’t be able to verify their records. We have shared the contact numbers of all BLOs on our website. People can contact them and complete the procedure.”She said the last phase of the drive is going on. “If we don’t find people at their addresses, we won’t be able to verify them. We will submit the records accordingly,” Kalaskar added.BLOs working in the city said there were multiple factors behind the slower pace, with tracing voters who are not available at their registered addresses the toughest.“People often don’t provide details. They feel that answering our questions is a waste of their time. In many cases, even the neighbours don’t know who lives in the house or where the person has gone,” a BLO said.Another BLO said the problem becomes more difficult in areas with a large floating population, where residents frequently change rented accommodation and may have little interaction with their neighbours.“Even when we get help from political party representatives, they don’t know each individual voter. They usually know only the chairman of the housing society. Often, society representatives are working people and are available only in the evening. That becomes a problem. Therefore, at some places, we had to conduct the drive on Saturdays and Sundays,” the BLO said.The experience is markedly different in villages, BLOs said. “In rural areas, people are cooperative. If we don’t find a voter at home, we can usually ask a neighbour or another villager about the person. They will at least provide basic information about where the person lives, whether they have shifted and whether the family is still there,” a rural BLO said.The close-knit nature of village communities also helps BLOs establish the identity and electoral presence of voters even when documentation is not immediately available.“Everybody knows everyone in the village. Even if a person does not have all the records available, we can establish that the person has been living there and has been voting. Only a few people who have migrated are completely untraceable,” the BLO said.This, BLOs said, has helped rural constituencies achieve higher percentages in the SIR exercise. The absence of a large migrant or floating population also makes it easier to establish the whereabouts of voters and complete their records.The difference is visible even in the distribution of enumeration forms. Junnar has reached 99.73% of its electorate and Ambegaon 99.69%, while Kasba Peth has reached 87.28%, the lowest in the district.With 8,417 BLOs deployed across Pune district, poll officials said that they have already intensified the drive and do not have enough time to call people now. Electors also need to participate equally to get the SIR done; otherwise, they will have to attend hearings to prove their identity to continue their voting rights, they added.
