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Correspondent

23 August 2024 at 9:59:04 pm

Urban Apathy

The numbers emerging from Maharashtra’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls are striking, but they should not be read simply as a story of voter exclusion. They are also a warning about urban voter apathy and mobility that are making the electoral rolls increasingly difficult to maintain. Across Maharashtra, 20.68 million electors, or 21.14 percent of registered voters, have been excluded from the draft rolls after they could not be traced at their given addresses....

Urban Apathy

The numbers emerging from Maharashtra’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls are striking, but they should not be read simply as a story of voter exclusion. They are also a warning about urban voter apathy and mobility that are making the electoral rolls increasingly difficult to maintain. Across Maharashtra, 20.68 million electors, or 21.14 percent of registered voters, have been excluded from the draft rolls after they could not be traced at their given addresses. Importantly, this figure includes 1.76 million voters identified as duplicates or already enrolled elsewhere, putting the actual number of exclusions for other reasons at more than 19 million. The urban numbers are particularly stark. In Mumbai, 34.75 percent of names have been deleted, while Thane has recorded the state’s highest proportion at 38.37 percent. These figures should prompt voters themselves to look in the mirror. The Chief Electoral Officer has said in interviews that the draft is not the final electoral roll. The exercise has identified people who were absent, had permanently shifted, were deceased, were enrolled elsewhere or fell into other categories. In many cases, the problem is straightforward as people move cities, change homes, migrate for work and fail to update their electoral records. But there is another practical complication. Booth Level Officers may visit homes during working hours only to find nobody there. A large urban population returns home after 7.30 or 8 pm. BLOs cannot realistically be expected to work indefinitely into the night, particularly when many are women. This creates a gap between an electoral system seeking physical verification and an urban population that is increasingly mobile and unavailable. But administrative difficulties cannot become an excuse for complacency. Nor can citizens assume that having voted in the past guarantees their name will automatically remain on the roll. Democracy does not merely require the right to vote; it requires voters to take the elementary trouble of ensuring that they remain registered. The election authorities have provided a clear remedy. Every voter should check the draft roll, verify the details and, if the name is missing, apply for inclusion through Form 6. Errors can also be corrected. The claims and objections process exists precisely because a draft roll is not infallible. Political parties, civil society organisations and resident associations have a role here too. Instead of treating every deletion as either an administrative conspiracy or a routine bureaucratic exercise, they should help citizens verify their entries and assist genuine voters through the correction process. The SIR has exposed a weakness in urban civic culture. Voters who care deeply about politics cannot afford to be indifferent about the most basic administrative act that makes political participation possible. The final electoral roll is not somebody else’s responsibility. It belongs to the voter.

US Vice President JD Vance, his family arrive in Delhi

  • PTI
  • Apr 21, 2025
  • 2 min read


NEW DELHI: US Vice President J D Vance arrived here on Monday on a four-day visit to India against the backdrop of ongoing negotiations for a bilateral trade agreement between the two strategic partners to address a variety of issues, including tariff and market access.


Vance is accompanied by his Indian-origin wife Usha Chilukuri and their three children Ewan, Vivek, Mirabel and a delegation of senior US government officials.


The US Vice President and the Second Lady were received at the Palam air base by Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.


The American leader was also accorded a ceremonial welcome on his arrival.

In the evening, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will host a dinner for the Vances after holding wide-ranging talks with the US Vice President.


External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, NSA Ajit Doval, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and Indian ambassador to US Vinay Mohan Kwatra are expected to be part of the Indian team to be led by PM Modi at the talks.


The focus of the meeting is likely to be on early finalisation of the proposed bilateral trade pact as well as ways to boost overall trajectory of ties between the two countries.


Besides Delhi, Vance and his family will travel to Jaipur and Agra.

Vance's first visit to India comes weeks after US President Donald Trump imposed and then paused a sweeping tariff regime against around 60 countries, including India.


New Delhi and Washington are now holding negotiations to seal a bilateral trade agreement that is expected to address a variety of issues, including tariff and market access.


Vance and his family are scheduled to leave for Jaipur on Monday night.

In Delhi, the US Vice President and his family are staying at the ITC Maurya Sheraton hotel.


On April 22, the Vances will visit a number of historical sites in Jaipur, including the Amer Fort, also known as Amber Fort. The fort is a UNESCO world heritage site.


In the afternoon, the US Vice President is scheduled to address a gathering at the Rajasthan International Centre in Jaipur.


Vance is expected to delved into broader aspects of India-US relations under the Donald Trump administration during his speech that is expected to be attended by diplomats, foreign policy experts, Indian government officials and academia.


The US Vice President and his family will travel to Agra on the morning of April 23, people familiar with the matter said.


In Agra, they will visit the Taj Mahal and Shilpgram which is an open air emporium showcasing various Indian artefacts, they said.


After concluding their visit to Agra, the Vances will return to Jaipur on the second half of April 23.


The US Vice President and his family will depart for the US from Jaipur on April 24, according to the people cited above.

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