Election Commission begins work to set up polling stations in Haryana, Maharashtra, Jharkhand and Jammu and Kashmir

The Election Commission (EC) has updated the electoral rolls of Haryana, Maharashtra, Jharkhand and Jammu and Kashmir and started preparations for holding state assembly elections in these states.

The terms of the current Legislative Assembly end on November 3 (Haryana), November 26 (Maharashtra) and January 5, 2025 (Jharkhand), and polls need to be held before their terms expire.

After demarcation of constituencies, assembly elections will also be held in Jammu and Kashmir and a new assembly will be constituted, the Election Commission said in a statement on Friday.

“In view of the exceptionally large participation of the people of Jammu and Kashmir in the recent Lok Sabha elections, the Commission has directed that the electoral rolls of the Union Territory be updated with July 1, 2024 as the date of eligibility,” the statement said.

The Supreme Court had in December last year directed the Election Commission to hold the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections by September 30.

Modi’s position

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had on Thursday said assembly elections would be held soon in Jammu and Kashmir and plans were also underway to restore the state’s status as a union territory.

Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar recently said that in the wake of the enthusiastic response in the Lok Sabha elections, the Election Commission will soon begin the process of conducting state assembly elections in the Union Territories.

This will be the first assembly election since the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution and bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir into two union territories.

The Election Commission has announced that the eligibility date for updating the electoral rolls will be July 1, 2024. The eligibility date for the recently concluded Indian Lok Sabha elections was already January 1.

The pre-renewal drive will begin from June 25 and will see the establishment or rationalisation of polling stations at locations most convenient for voters in housing complexes, slums, urban growth areas and rural areas.

The final electoral roll is expected to be published on August 20.