Banda DM striving to increase voter turnout to 90%

Banda (UP), March 30 (IANS) Absent voters, those who have left the Bundelkhand area of Uttar Pradesh in search of livelihood in other states, are giving the administration, which is striving to improve the voting percentage, a tough time.

Over 21,000 houses in Bundelkhand have lock on them as the residents have left the area for greener pastures in other states.

Though the chances of their return to the area to vote in the Lok Sabha elections are remote, the administration has launched a "90 per cent voting in Banda" campaign and is leaving no stone unturned to achieve that.

Banda's District Megistrate Hira Lal told IANS on Friday, "the teams working under the the pulse polio prevention programme, which visit every household to administer the polio drops to children, have been asked to prepare lists of such locked houses."

According to him, the polio teams have reported 21,819 locked-up houses in the district. More than one lakh Banda district voters were living in other cities, he said and added booth level officers and guards have been tasked with bringing them back before or on the voting date.

Remarking that the campaign is aimed at improving voting to 90 per cent, the District Magistrate said, "The Baberu Assembly constituency has maximum 3,590 such houses and Naraini the minimum number at 3,140."

In 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the constituency witnessed 52.59 per cent voter turnout.

The Banda parliamentary constituency, which will go to polls on May 6, has 12,99,291 registered voters, of which 5,88,775 are female.

The parliamentary constituency No 48, comprises areas from both Chitrakoot and Banda districts.