DEO Kathua ramps up election readiness, emphasises crucial role of EROs

Kathua, Aug 21: District Election Officer Kathua Dr. Rakesh Minhas (Deputy Commissioner) Tuesday convened a meeting with key officers to take stock of election preparedness across six assembly segments of the district.
The DEO asked the Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) of the six assembly constituencies—63-Bani, 64-Billawar, 65-Basohli, 66-Jasrota, 67-Kathua, and 68-Hiranagar—to designate Nodal Officers for different responsibilities as per the Election Commission of India guidelines.
Dr. Minhas stressed the importance of assembly segment-specific arrangements to be managed by the EROs, who will also serve as the Returning Officers for their respective constituencies. The meeting featured detailed discussions on several critical areas, including Training of polling staff, Establishment of strong rooms and provisions for CCTV surveillance, Randomization of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), formulation of transportation and communication plans, Appointment of sectoral officers, Establishment of Single Window Permission mechanisms etc.
The DEO also underscored the importance of forming Media Certification and Monitoring Committees (MCMC), Flying Squads Teams (FST), and Static Surveillance Teams (SST) to uphold the integrity of the election process. He further directed the officers to draft and implement a robust Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) plan aimed at increasing voter turnout, particularly focusing on first-time voters.
The DEO asked EROs to strictly adhere to the established timelines to ensure smooth execution of the election process in compliance with ECI guidelines. ‎
Pertinently, the six assembly constituencies of Kathua district are slated to go for poll on 1st October 2024- the third and final phase of the J&K Assembly elections
The meeting was attended by ADC Ranjit Singh; ERO Kathua Vishav Pratap Singh (ACR); ERO Jasrota Akhil Sadhotra (ACD), ERO Hiranagar Rakesh Kumar (SDM), Nodal Officer Trainings Ranjit Thakur( CPO), Assistant Commissioner Jarad Pratik Anil, Deputy DEO Nagesh Singh, Nodal Officer MCMC, EMC, SVEEP ( DIO Kathua) Neeraj Bhargav while ERO Basohli Anil Thakur (ADC); ERO Billawar Vinay Khosla (ADC); ERO Bani Giasul Haq ( SDM) joined Virtually.