The Election Commission (EC) announced on Friday a special summary revision of the electoral rolls for Haryana, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, and the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir. This revision, effective from July 1, aims to prepare for the upcoming Assembly elections later this year, with the process beginning on June 25.
In Jammu & Kashmir, the electoral rolls will be updated with July 1 as the qualifying date. Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, in his last press conference, emphasized the EC’s commitment to initiating the Assembly election process in J&K. He highlighted the enthusiasm of the J&K populace for democratic participation, as evidenced in the recent Lok Sabha elections.
“The Commission firmly believes that pure, inclusive, and updated electoral rolls are the foundation of free, fair, and credible elections,” stated the EC. To ensure the integrity of the electoral rolls, the EC will focus on intensive pre-revision activities before publishing the draft rolls.
These pre-revision activities will include house-to-house surveys by booth-level officers to identify multiple entries, deceased electors, and permanently relocated voters, as well as making necessary corrections to the electoral rolls. Additionally, there will be a rationalization and rearrangement of polling stations and efforts to improve the quality of voter photographs.
The house-to-house verification process is scheduled from June 25 to July 24, with the draft rolls to be published on July 25. The Chief Electoral Officer will set special campaign dates on Saturdays and Sundays, leading to the final publication of the electoral rolls on July 20.