In light of the panchayat elections, the SEC recently ordered a special revision of the electoral roll.
Following the SEC’s official notification last week, deputy commissioners in each of Jammu and Kashmir’s 20 districts have begun the revision process, according to officials.
Adding new eligible voters, updating existing voter information, and eliminating ineligible entries are the three main steps in the roll updates that district panchayat election officers (DPEOs) have directed officials to complete.
Officials have been instructed to carry out outreach initiatives to educate the public about their right to take part in the democratic process and to guarantee accuracy and efficiency throughout the verification process.
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In order to guarantee that eligible citizens, particularly those who have recently become eligible to vote, are registered and able to exercise their right to vote, the administration has placed a strong emphasis on interacting with local communities. Any disagreements or complaints that come up during this process must be resolved right away.
On November 11, a draft will be released as part of the special summary revision of the panchayat electoral roll. Claims and objections (including those pertaining to additions, deletions, corrections, and transpositions) may be submitted between November 11 and December 9.
Claims and objections will be settled by December 24, and special camps are planned from November 16 to December 1 to encourage public participation. On January 6 of the following year, the final panchayat electoral roll for 2024 will be released.
According to officials, the goal of the revision, which sets January 1, 2025, as the qualifying date, is to create an accurate and current electoral roll in order to facilitate a fair and transparent democratic process at the local level.
Notably, the officials stated that the Jammu and Kashmir State Election Commission, not the Election Commission of India, is in charge of these elections.
After a few years, Jammu and Kashmir’s most recent panchayat elections were conducted in 2018. On January 9 of this year, the Panchayati Raj institutions’ tenure came to an end.
With about 35,000 panchayat representatives—including about 4,490 sarpanches—elected throughout the Union Territory, this will also be the first panchayat election since Article 370 of the Constitution was repealed in 2019.
However, since the Center has made carrying out a delimitation exercise a top priority, it is unclear exactly when the next municipal and panchayat elections will take place.
