National
EC’s voter registration boosts citizenship applicant numbers
The number of citizenship certificates issued daily by Bajhang District Administration Office has increased by ten-fold after the Election Commission began voter registration, according to officials.Basant Pratap Singh
The number of citizenship certificates issued daily by Bajhang District Administration Office has increased by ten-fold after the Election Commission began voter registration, according to officials.
Pawan Kumar Rawal, a computer operator at the DAO, said around 300 citizenship certificates were being issued daily, attributing the sudden increase in citizenship applicant numbers to the people’s desire to participate in the upcoming provincial and federal elections.
“The trend suggests that people in Bajhang, particularly the youths, want to vote. It also reflects the change in the level of political awareness among the people,” he said.
Assistant Chief District Officer Tek Singh Kunwar said several citizenship applicants visiting the DAO these days had missed out the opportunity to exercise their franchise in the local level elections and that they were obtaining citizenship certificates for the express reason of voting in the upcoming elections.
“People are travelling from far and wide to get citizenship certificates these days. They keep our staff busy for most part of the day,” Kunwar said.
He added that the DAO has also extended the office hours in view of the number of citizenship applicants thronging the DAO. The office is open from 8am till 7pm these days.