ECI calls virtual meeting with JK officials to review election preparations

JK to hold three-phase assembly elections starting September 18

Ashiq Butt | July 6, 2024 | 12:44 PM IST | Elections 2024, India, Jammu Kashmir | Follow on Google News

ECI calls virtual meeting with JK officials to review election preparations

ECI calls virtual meeting with JK officials to review election preparations

JAMMU, July 5: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has scheduled a virtual meeting with all 20 Deputy Commissioners of Jammu and Kashmir on July 10 to discuss pre-Assembly election preparations, including the ongoing Special Summary Revision (SSR) of electoral rolls, which are slated for publication on August 20.

Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) PK Pole and senior officials, along with the 20 Deputy Commissioners who are designated as District Electoral Officers (DEOs), will attend the meeting scheduled from 2 PM to 3 PM.

Special Summary Revision and Electoral Rolls:

The meeting will focus on various critical aspects such as the rationalization and rearrangement of Polling Stations. The agenda includes the addition, relocation, or renaming of Polling Stations, updating Control Tables for all Assembly constituencies, and improving the health of electoral rolls by removing discrepancies.

The officials will also emphasize enhancing the quality of Electors Photo Identity Cards (EPIC) and preparing the integrated draft roll with reference to July 1, 2024, as the qualifying date.House-to-house verification by Booth Level Officers (BLOs) is another key topic.

The meeting will review the number of households verified, those pending verification, and establish a timeline for completing the remaining verifications. According to the Election Commission’s schedule, the final electoral rolls will be published on August 20, following the conclusion of the 52-day annual Shri Amarnath Ji pilgrimage.

The Supreme Court of India, in its December 11, 2023 verdict favoring the abrogation of Article 370, directed the Election Commission to conduct Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir before September 30, 2024.

Consequently, pre-revision activities are ongoing from June 25 to July 24, with the integrated draft electoral rolls set for publication on July 25. Claims and objections can be filed between July 25 and August 9, with disposal of claims by August 19, culminating in the final electoral roll publication on August 20.

Historical Context and Future Prospects:

Jammu and Kashmir, which became a Union Territory on August 5, 2019, after the abrogation of its special status and separation of Ladakh, has not held elections for its 90-member Legislative Assembly since then.

Of these, 47 seats are in the Kashmir division and 43 in the Jammu division, with provisions for nominating five MLAs, including women, Kashmiri migrants, and PoJK refugees.

Additionally, 24 seats are reserved for Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK), under illegal occupation by Pakistan. The Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, encouraged by the voter turnout in the Lok Sabha polls, has indicated that the Election Commission will soon initiate the process for Assembly elections in the Union Territory.

Ashiq Butt

Ashiq Butt – is VoM News's senior staffer worked since year 2015 and he deals with correspondency and social media handles. Hailing from Doda's Marmat, Ashiq has strong grip over the collection of the data and it's compiling feature.