'Voters in Bengal more aware of voting rights than other states'

Kolkata: State Additional Chief Secretary Home and Hill Affairs Hari Krishna Dwivedi claimed that the voters in the state are more 'informed' and aware of their voting rights in comparison to other states in the country.

"The voting percentage of most states is around 55-60 per cent while in Bengal the poll percentage is 80-85 per cent which is a clear indication that voters irrespective of their age and sex take part in voting process. They are well aware that voting is their right to make democracy stronger," Dwivedi said, while addressing the state-level programme on National Voters' Day.

The final electoral roll that was published on January 15 has revealed that presently there are 7,32,94,980 electors in the state. "The electoral roll is still being updated and we are determined to come out with an error-free voter list," Ariz Aftab, CEO Bengal said.

Aftab in presence of Dwivedi and other senior officials in the state CEO office handed over EPIC cards to some first time voters whose names have been included in the electoral roll.

Representatives from the major political parties in the state were also present at the programme.