Election Commission’s SIR special camps see low turnout in Coimbatore district on day one

Coimbatore: All the polling stations in Coimbatore district saw low turnout on Saturday, on the first day of the special camps conducted by the Election Commission to facilitate voters to submit objections to the draft electoral roll published on Dec 19 as part of the special intensive revision (SIR) or to make corrections or to get registered as new voters.The Election Commission had announced that it would be holding special camps in Tamil Nadu on Dec 27 and 28 and then on Jan 3 and 4. Many people whose names had been omitted from the draft roll attended the camps, particularly at Kavundampalayam. Most of them submitted Form 6 to register as new voters. Form 7 can be used to raise objections while Form 8 can be used for address change or correction of entries in existing electoral roll. Polling stations affiliated to housing boards received a significant number of Form 8 applications as there are many people who relocated for work. A Abirami, a resident of Shiva Nagar near Papanaickenpalayam who attended the camp at the Papanaickenpalayam Corporation Middle School, said, "I'm a native of Chennai, and I moved to Coimbatore after marriage. During the special intensive revision, my name in Chennai was deleted. So, I'm here to enrol as a new voter."T Santhi, 59, a resident of Ambedkar Nagar in Kavundamapalayam, said despite casting votes in the past in the same location, the SIR form had not been issued to her. So, she submitted Form 6 at the camp at the Corporation Middle School in Kavundampalayam to get registered as a new voter. She said, "I have a voter card. I have been here at the same address for 20 years. Moreover, the names of my two sons were listed. They were issued the SIR form. There has been no clarity on why my name was omitted. So, I was advised to submit Form 6 to get registered as a new voter."An official at the Kavundampalayam polling station said some people whose names were omitted in the SIR came in to enrol their names. He said many govt employees, who have been transferred to Coimbatore, used Form 8 to have their names included here. "Since this polling station covers many housing units, the majority were name transfers. The public arrival was low until noon. The crowd is expected to increase on Sunday, as it is a holiday for all working people. There might be people who aren't aware of the camp held today. They might come tomorrow or the next weekend," he said.