ECI holds meeting of DEOs; reviews SSR process

Jammu, July 11: Election Commission of India (ECI) Thursday extensively reviewed the ongoing process related to the second Special Summary Revision (SSR) of electoral rolls in Jammu and Kashmir.

The review was conducted in the meeting of all District Election Officers (DEOs) of J&K through video-conferencing. Initially, the meeting was scheduled to be held on July 10 yet later ECI postponed it for a day.

The Commission on June 21 had set the process of assembly elections in motion by ordering the up-dation of electoral rolls for J&K, along with poll-bound states of Haryana, Jharkhand and Maharashtra, fixing July 1, 2024 as the qualifying date (for conduct of SSR).

Official sources stated, “The focus, as per agenda, was on the ongoing process of Special Summary Revision (SSR). Status of pre-revision activities like House-to-House (H2H) verification through BLOs; rationalisation or rearrangement of Polling Stations; updation status for all ACs; electoral rolls and removal of discrepancies in the electoral roll and Electors Photo Identity Cards (EPIC) was reviewed.”

Status of Booth Level Officers, Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs); issues related to political parties and preparation of integrated draft roll and pre-draft format were assessed.

J&K Chief Electoral Officer P K Pole and other senior officers too participated in the meeting.

Deadline of completion of pre-SSR activities, which began from June 25, 2024, is July 24, 2024.

The last Special Summary Revision of electoral rolls was conducted in all the states and UTs (including J&K) with respect to January 1, 2024 as the qualifying date.

The apex court of the country, in December 2023, had set the deadline of September 30, 2024 for the ECI to complete the process of assembly elections in J&K.

“The Commission firmly believes that pure, inclusive and updated electoral rolls are the foundation of free, fair and credible elections. To ensure the fidelity of electoral roll, the Commission is giving special emphasis on the conduct of intensive pre-revision activities before the publication of draft electoral roll,” ECI had stated, while delineating the significance of updation of electoral rolls.

Pre-revision activities mainly include House to House surveys by the BLOs. Booth Level Officers make house to house visits within their area of jurisdiction to collect the information about un-enrolled eligible citizens (eligible on July 1, 2024); multiple entries, dead electors and permanently shifted electors; corrections in the ER entries.

Besides, these activities include rationalization or re-arrangement of Polling Stations. While directing for the updation of rolls, the Commission had also directed CEOs to conduct an extensive survey during the ongoing exercise of rationalization of polling stations to identify those urban areas where Group Housing Societies and high-rise residential buildings were located having adequate rooms, common facilitation area, community halls, schools for the purpose of setting up a polling station to cater to the resident electors, after following the due procedure.

As per schedule of ‘Revision activities’, the date for publication of Integrated draft electoral roll will be July 25, 2024. Period for filing claims and objections will be from July 25 to August 9, 2024. Special campaign dates will be fixed by the CEO on Saturdays and Sundays within claims and objection periods.

Disposal of claims and objections viz., checking of health parameters and obtaining Commission's permission for final publication and updating database and printing of supplements will be completed by August 19, 2024.

Detailed revision exercise will conclude on August 20, 2024 with the final publication of the electoral roll.