Jammu, Sept 13: Emphasizing upon the pivotal role of elections, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Pandurang Kondbarao Pole on Wednesday said that elections play a major role in devolving powers to the grassroots level while bringing governance closer to the people.
Pole was chairing a meeting with nodal officers and other senior officers of the district to review the preparations for the upcoming Urban Local Bodies Elections in the district.
During the meeting, the CEO highlighted significant transformation witnessed in Jammu and Kashmir as regular ULB elections have now become a consistent feature of the region.
“For the first time in recent history, power rests with Urban Local Bodies and Panchayati Raj Institutions,” affirmed the CEO, emphasizing on the growing awareness among the citizens about the importance of each vote.
The CEO emphasized that elections are a sacred process, marked by clearly defined roles and a strict adherence to the established procedures, contributing to the robustness of our democracy. He added that routine training sessions are an essential tool in ensuring that elections are carried out without slightest margin of error.
During the meeting, the Chief Electoral Officer engaged with Nodal Officers on several key aspects. He inquired about the status of electoral rolls and their prompt delivery to political parties, underscoring the importance of transparency in the electoral process. He urged all nodal officers to collaborate in assisting the public to elect their representatives effectively.
During the meeting, the CEO also took feedback on the ongoing and upcoming training sessions for polling staff to ensure their preparedness for the elections.
Among others, the meeting was attended by Deputy Commissioner Jammu, Sachin Kumar Vaishya; Commissioner JMC, Rahul Yadav; SSP Jammu, Chandan Kohli; ADCs Harvinder Singh and Sandeep Seointra; besides officers from Election Department.
