Srinagar, Apr 23: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) PK Pole said on Monday that three key elections, Municipal, Panchayat, and Lok Sabha, will be held during the current fiscal year, and that the administration is prepared.
Pole informed Rising Kashmir that Panchayats and Municipalities would finish their five-year terms in October-November this year, while the Lok Sabha elections will take place in April-May of next year.He said the government has started a mega enrolment drive fromApril 5 for those voters who are crossing 18 years of age or residents of Jammu and Kashmir.
“We are informing people through multiple platforms how these camps are being organized. Booth Level Officers (BLO)’s are also visiting the home-to-home visits and organizing special camps for people,” he said adding that in Srinagar and Jammu, major hoarding is being set up to inform people.
“Newly married women as they shifted from one place to another, Special AROs has been deputed for college and University going students who have crossed 18 years of age are to be registered during Special Summary Revision,” he said.
“There has been an increase in the number of polling stations in J&K, which has risen to 11,370, and temporary stations will be set up where number of voters exceeds 1400 for the next Lok Sabha elections,” CEO said.
Regarding the Kashmiri migrant voters, Pole said they are also in touch with migrants who are in Udhampur, Jammu and others places and want to enroll themselves. They are being made aware and applications are being taken from eligible aspirants, he said.
He said AERO (Assistant Electoral Registration officers) has been designated there to help them with registration. Migrants should register themselves where they are in the country and issues related submitted of Migrant forms is under consideration of the government,” he said.
“Govt. will always consider migrants as special voters and consider their residence where they were living in the Valley,” CEO said.
Pole said the three works that are done during summary revisions include Form no 6 (addition), Form 7 (Deletion) and Form no 8 (Correction).
“There are special forms for specially-abled persons and accordingly inclusive arrangements will be done for them during the upcoming elections. Mobile number and Aadhar are not mandatory for registration,” he said.
Regarding the state assembly elections, the CEO denied any comments on that. Urban Local Bodies and Parliament elections have their own importance in society.
“There is no change in the number of Municipal Committees and we are upgrading some facilities. We have identified schools for the polling and all facilities are being reviewed,” he said.
About summary revision, he said 19,000 Ballot Units, Control Units, and VVPATs with updated version will be used for the Lok Sabha polls. 19,000 each Ballot Units, Control Units and VVPATs with update versions will be used for the Lok Sabha polls, he said.
Pole said that the election commission has undertaken major reforms, including allowing youth who turn 18 years of age on January 1st, April, July, and October.
“To enroll as voters well in advance, and women who have married and shifted from one place to another, to be registered during Special Summary Revision,” he said.
Earlier this month, the UT administration has constituted teams to ensure that displaced people from Valley putting up at Jammu and other parts of the country are enrolled as bonafide voters of Kashmir.
The move is aimed to ensure maximum awareness and facilitation of migrant Kashmir Pandits in electoral rolls of constituencies of their original residence, 22 teams have been constituted in camp and non-camp areas of J&K.
