EC starts J&K poll process, orders revision of rolls

NEW DELHI: Starting its preparations for assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir, the first after nullification of Article 370, as well as in Haryana, Jharkhand and Maharashtra, the Election Commission on Friday announced the special summary revision (SSR) of electoral rolls in the four states/UT with July 1, 2024, as the qualifying date.
Roll updation activities, which offer eligible and unregistered citizens an opportunity to enrol themselves and vote in the upcoming polls, as well as rationalisation and re-arrangement of polling stations in the poll-bound states/UT will start on June 25 and end with final publication of the revised rolls on Aug 20.
J&K polls are expected to be a standalone affair, given the large requirement of forces not only to maintain law and order and avert possible attempts at disruption of polls by terrorists, but also to protect hundreds of candidates from being targeted.
Usually, EC goes ahead with announcement of polls after the final electoral roll is published with respect to the closest of the four cut-off dates in a year - Jan 1, April 1, July 1 and Oct 1. J&K assembly polls are to be held before the Sep 30 deadline set by the Supreme Court, with chief election commissioner Rajiv Kumar already having announced EC's intent to conduct them soon.
PM Narenda Modi on Thursday had assured the people in Jammu and Kashmir that elections were not very far off. The poll announcement, however, may come only after Amarnath Yatra winds up on Aug 19, and the publication of the final roll for J&K on Aug 20 will pave the way for this.
The term of the state assemblies in Haryana, Maharashtra and Jharkhand are expiring on Nov 3, Nov 26 and Jan 5 respectively. In 2019, elections in Haryana and Maharashtra were announced on Sep 21 and polling was held on Oct 21.
The election in Jharkhand was held separately in Dec 2019. The choice of July 1 as the cut-off date for special summary revision of rolls in all three states points to possible clubbing of Jharkhand polls with those in Haryana and Maharashtra, with the announcement likely in Sep.
As per the SSR timetable issued by EC on Friday, house-to-house verification by booth level officers shall be undertaken between June 25 and July 24 across all four states/UT.
The same timeline will apply for rationalisation of polling stations, aimed at bringing them closer to even smaller habitations for the convenience of voters.