Garhwa: One house, five family members — and more than 500 voters on its address.The draft electoral roll published after the special intensive revision (SIR) has triggered anger and anxiety in Garhwa assembly constituency, with electors questioning how hundreds of people cutting across caste and religion were assigned the same address.The starkest discrepancy has emerged at booth 282 at Middle School, Bayen, in Garhwa block. Of the booth’s 954 voters — 507 men and 447 women — more than 500 have been listed as residents of house number 1.Villagers said the house belongs to a family of five: Jag Narayan Mochi; his wife, Sumaria Devi; their sons, Ram Pawan Ram and Phatil Ram; and Ram Pawan’s wife, Sunaina Devi.The anomaly, residents said, has deepened fears over the accuracy of the revision and whether details of electors were verified on the ground. Some electors alleged that the booth-level officer (BLO) prepared the records from home instead of conducting the mandated door-to-door verification.Nor is Bayen the only village reporting such discrepancies. At booth 290, located at Rajkiya Uchh Vidyalaya, Dumaria, 24 people from different castes have been assigned one house number. At booth 292 at Rajkiya Prathmik Vidyalaya, Tildag, 30 voters have similarly been shown at a single address.The errors sparked heated protests in Bayen after the draft rolls were published on Aug 5. Residents said that even if the entries were clerical mistakes, listing hundreds of voters under one address reflected poorly on the verification exercise and had left them worried about errors in other electoral details.Election officials said the discrepancies would be rectified during the claims and objections period.Assistant election officer Kumud Jha said special camps would be held at every booth on Aug 8, with BLOs present to receive claims and objections. “The error concerning house number 1 at booth 282 will also be corrected at the special camp,” Jha said.Garhwa deputy commissioner and district election officer Pashupati Nath Mishra said the house numbers were “notional” and urged electors not to worry. “It is not an issue. All corrections will be made before the final publication of the electoral rolls on Oct 5,” he said.
