Lok Sabha Election 2024 | Free, fair, transparent polls will be held in J&K : Chief Electoral Officer

Ramban, Mar 3: Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) P K Pole today said that free, fair and transparent Lok Sabha polls will be held in Jammu and Kashmir.

According to an official press release, he was addressing a meeting at Ramban. The meeting was held to review preparations being made for the ensuing Lok Sabha Election 2024 in the district.

District Election Officer, Baseer-Ul-Haq Chaudhary, Additional District Development Commissioner, Roshan Lal, Additional Deputy Commissioner, Varunjeet Singh Charak, Additional SP, Gaurav Mahajan and other officers attended the meeting.

The meeting had a detailed review of the District Election Management Plan for Ramban besides discussions on Electoral Roll Processes, logistical requisites, manpower management, risk assessment, EVM transportation, polling staff deployment and security arrangements.

The CEO expressed satisfaction over the district administration's preparedness for the upcoming Election 2024. The district, being a crucial connecting link via road to Kashmir province, has made a separate plan to tackle the road transport challenges and other logistics, he added. He affirmed conduct of free, fair and transparent upcoming Lok Sabha Election while expecting voters high turnout in the district. He emphasised the rigorous training of electoral manpower both officials and non-officials and awareness of voters, especially first time voters on EVM and VVPAT.

Other vital issues discussed in the meeting inter alia included allocation of adequate human resources, implementation of Systematic Voters' Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) plans at the booth level, formulation of a comprehensive material management plan, secure route mapping and development of an extensive training regimen for Assistant Returning Officers (AROs).

In a bid to bolster public participation, AROs were tasked with executing awareness campaigns at the booth level, engaging Block Level Officers (BLOs), sports personalities, government employees, youth icons, influencers besides organizing sports events, rallies, competitions and door-to-door campaigns as per district SVEEP plan.

Underlining the significance of Adequate Minimum Facilities (AMF), the CEO directed the district administration to ensure clean washrooms, provision of drinking water, first aid facilities, and uninterrupted electricity for polling staff and security personnel on Election Day.

The meeting concluded with a reaffirmation of collective commitment towards ensuring a smooth, transparent and participatory electoral process in the upcoming Lok Sabha Election 2024.

Earlier, District Election Officer, in a PowerPoint Presentation, informed the CEO about the election preparedness and execution of directives issued by the Election Department from time to time.