Teenagers in Punjab fail in voter enrolment, score 30%

CHANDIGARH: Youth in Punjab appear to be little interested in the electoral process, if the state’s voters’ registration data is an indicator. As per data compiled by the Punjab State Election Commission, of the estimated 9.3 lakh teenagers who are eligible to vote in the state, only 29.98% have registered for voting in the forthcoming state assembly elections.

Punjab chief electoral officer

Karuna Raju

has said they will continue to enroll new voters till one week before the election to improve enrolment. According to data, only 2.8 lakh people in the 18-19 age group, also called “first-time voters”, have been enrolled to exercise their franchise.

Voter enrollment is the second-worst in the age group of 20-29 years, at 67.8%. Of the projected population of 58.5 lakh people in the category, only 39.7 lakh are registered to vote. High mobility in the younger age groups and issues related to documentation due to ongoing pandemic are being given as key reasons for poor registration.

Professor of population studies at the Centre for Research in Rural and Industrial Development (CRRID) Chandigarh,

Aswini Kumar Nanda

, stated that the younger age groups – 18-19 and 20-29 – often shift cities for education or work. Prof Nanda called for making the registration process more flexible, as it is cumbersome at present. To improve enrolment, Raju had constituted a three-member committee to identify new voters in the state, especially in the teenaged population.