In a main faculty with vibrant furnishings, buntings left over from the brand new 12 months celebrations nonetheless hanging from the ceiling, Ankita Sahibrao Balpande indicators off for the day with a “zero-zero” report. A main faculty instructor in a authorities faculty for eight years, Balpande, 34, has been assigned a goal enumeration of 1258 voters as a Sales space Degree Officer (BLO) below the Particular Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in Ghatlodiya Meeting constituency of Ahmedabad.
The duty has been arduous, not solely as a result of it’s a high-profile constituency represented by Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, however as a result of it has voters, a lot of whom have migrated from the walled metropolis areas, after they have been final enrolled in 2002.
She cites a case the place she discovered two male voters with precisely the identical names — Kiritkumar — together with the center identify, which is normally the daddy’s identify, and surname, who have been residents of the identical pol neighbourhood in Kalupur 23 years in the past and had moved to Ghatlodiya.
Ghatlodiya, an city Meeting constituency, is the biggest in Gujarat with 463 polling cubicles masking over 3.65 lakh voters. (Categorical Picture)
“Their age grew to become an identifier for me, as one Kiritkumar was 10 years youthful than the opposite. It could have been powerful had the age hole been lesser”, says Balpande.
A “zero-zero” report signifies there is no such thing as a voter left to be mapped. She had mapped types of 502 voters and was finishing the remainder of her assigned goal on the camp final weekend. “Amongst these 110 had shifted, 26 died, 20 have been duplicate and 9 have been absent,” Balpande tells The Indian Categorical, stationed in a classroom on the bottom ground at JG Worldwide College designated because the camp. The varsity can be a polling sales space with 7,100 listed voters within the final Meeting election.
Ghatlodiya, an city Meeting constituency, is the biggest in Gujarat with 463 polling cubicles masking over 3.65 lakh voters (as per the 2026 draft roll). Former CM Anandiben Patel has additionally represented this constituency which is a constituent of the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha seat represented by Union residence minister Amit Shah.
The opposite widespread subject for the BLO right here was societies that didn’t exist in 2002. “I had two such societies — Mirant Co-operative and Sudarshan Towers — in my space,” she tells the paper.
Story continues beneath this advert
Gujarat was among the many six states and Union Territories whose deadline for finishing the SIR train was prolonged.
Amongst those that got here for the camp is Jyotiben Trivedi, 72, accompanied by her daughter-in-law Khushboo. She sat on a tiny chair within the kindergarten classroom awaiting her flip to submit paperwork for inclusion of herself and 4 relations — son, daughter-in-law and two grandsons as she additionally recorded the deletion of her husband’s identify who had died a couple of years again.
“We have been earlier dwelling within the Gyaswadi space in Ranip from the place we’ve shifted to Thaltej. We have been informed to submit the shape and paperwork in the course of the camps to keep away from duplication. Throughout one of many earlier camps, we submitted the dying certificates of my father in legislation,” Khushboo says.
Some voters — who weren’t in Ahmedabad in the course of the train — had neighbours do the formalities for them. Like Prahladbhai Patel (70) and his spouse Vasanti Patel (63) who have been with their son in Hyderabad for the final six months. Balpande was capable of map them however their paperwork for filling the shape have been required. “Since we weren’t round, the BLO known as up. Initially, we had doubts about somebody in search of our paperwork however after verifying from our neighbours and the society chairman, we requested our neighbours to make use of the extra key with them to open our home and submit the required paperwork. The BLO additionally shared with us the screenshot of the 2002 checklist. Our neighbours signed the types on our behalf. At the moment I’m right here for verification,” Patel informed this paper.
Story continues beneath this advert
63- year-old Haresh Khatwani, a resident of Upendra Park Someshwar 3 in Thaltej, a advisor (engineering) was in Bharuch in 2002. He was mapped as per the 2002 information and had stuffed the SIR type however his each youngsters — 30-year old-son and 28-year-old daughter — have been lacking from the checklist.
“I got here to submit my passport copy as verification for my youngsters. Initially it did look sophisticated however since my youngsters weren’t 18 in 2002, their names weren’t in that checklist although they’d voted within the earlier elections. I’ve submitted extra paperwork, too, like their start certificates and voter playing cards, simply to be on the safer aspect,” Haresh, who was visiting one of many camps in Ahmedabad, informed this paper.
There have been additionally instances the place the voters have been mapped with the 2002 electoral checklist however their SIR types have been lacking. Vijaybhai Patel (46), a resident of Vishwas Society in Thaltej ward since 2009, submitted Type 6, used for registration of latest voters.
Balpande, who has been a BLO since six years, was pleased having coated most voters not solely who have been out of Gujarat but additionally overseas as she submitted her report back to sector officer Raj Solanki.
Story continues beneath this advert
BLOs and the representatives of political events shared that almost all of the instances that got here up in the course of the enumeration section have been these of names lacking from the 2002 checklist. “Initially, individuals have been hesitant to file the types which quickly was frustration as they didn’t discover their names within the 2002 checklist. Most have been left indignant too however those that waited patiently to make use of their proper to vote submitted the required paperwork,” Parag Panchal, spokesperson, Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC), who was current on the camp to assist residents with the method, informed The Indian Categorical.
Hitendra Thakkar, Thaltej ward vp of the BJP, mentioned there have been names of voters who have been both lifeless or shifted completely, within the rolls for over 15-20 years. “There have been instances of duplication too like those that shifted from villages to cities however their names proceed there too. The BLOs have labored very exhausting. We’d additionally get names of all of the residents whose SIR types have been pending and share with the society chairmen, depart repeated messages on their Whatsapp teams and name them repeatedly,” Thakkar mentioned.
For the NRIs, BLOs even despatched the SIR types nearly to them, which they stuffed and returned. “Many of the NRI instances got here from Upendra Park society the place 8-9 voters have been within the US. We contacted the society secretary who shared the contact particulars by way of their society dictionary. Happily, the BLO was additionally from the identical society which helped in constructing belief. On the finish of the fourth camp on January 4, out of 7100 voters listed on the sales space solely 4 are pending who’re NRIs. We are going to attempt getting paperwork from them as quickly as doable, one of many BLOs shared.
“The unmapped voters can be known as for a listening to. Although supporting paperwork from many unmapped voters have been obtained as of now as per the ECI tips, the unmapped voters can be despatched notices. Nevertheless, although there is no such thing as a official communication but, this would possibly change wanting on the paperwork obtained,” one of many officers on the Chief Electoral Workplace (CEO) mentioned.
