Election Commission initiates preparations for State Assembly polls in Haryana, Maharashtra, Jharkhand

New Delhi [India], June 21 : After the successful completion of the General Election to the 18th Lok Sabha, the Election Commission of India has initiated the preparations for forthcoming State Assembly Elections in the States of Haryana, Maharashtra and Jharkhand with the updation of the electoral rolls in these states w.r.t. July 1, 2024, as the qualifying date. The term of the existing Legislative Assemblies in the three states are going to end on 03.11.2024, 26.11.2024 and 05.01.2025 respectively and elections to these Legislative Assemblies are required to be conducted before the completion of their terms, a press release from ECI stated.
Besides, the General Election to the Legislative Assembly of UT of Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) is also to be conducted for constituting a new house after delimitation of Constituencies. Witnessing the huge participation of the people of Jammu and Kashmir in the recently concluded Lok Sabha Elections, the Commission has also directed for the updation of the electoral rolls in the UT of J&K with July 1, 2024, as the qualifying date, a press release from ECI stated.
It may be recalled that CEC Rajiv Kumar in the last press conference remarked that "the story of huge participation in Lok Sabha elections by people of J&K is very hopeful and inspiring, showing how eager people are to participate in democracy. People must stay peaceful and united, fulfilling their aspirations and deciding their future and governance. The Commission is excited and gratified to help make this happen and will soon start the Assembly election process in J&K", said the press release from ECI.
The last Special Summary Revision of Electoral Rolls was conducted in all the States and UT w.r.t. 1st January 2024 as the qualifying date. After the amendment in Section 14 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950 by the Election Laws (Amendment) Act, 2021 the provision of four qualifying dates in a year is available now, said the press release from ECI.
Accordingly, the Commission, to provide ample opportunity to all eligible and unenrolled citizens to get themselves enrolled in the electoral roll and thereby get the chance to vote in the upcoming elections, has decided to conduct 2nd Special Summary Revision (SSR) of Electoral Rolls w.r.t. 01.07.2024 in the states of Haryana, Jharkhand, Maharashtra and UT of Jammu & Kashmir, said the press release from ECI.
The Commission firmly believes that pure, inclusive and updated electoral rolls are the foundation of free, fair and credible elections. To ensure the fidelity of the electoral roll, the Commission is giving special emphasis on the conduct of intensive pre-revision activities before the publication of the draft electoral roll, according to the press release from ECI.
Some of the steps that ECI will initiate include a house-to-house survey by the booth level officers, rationalization/re-arrangement of polling stations, and improvement of image quality ensuring good quality photographs, the ECI press release mentioned.
The Commission's intensive and sustained focus has always been on ensuring inclusivity, purity and health of the electoral roll so that no eligible citizen is deprived of their right to be included in the electoral roll and to maintain an error-free electoral roll without any duplicate and ineligible entries, to the extent possible. Therefore, the Commission appeals to all eligible citizens to come forward to get themselves enrolled in the electoral roll, if not enrolled so far, to exercise their voting rights in the forthcoming elections, concluded the ECI press release.