Election Commission of India (Photo: IANS)
The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Friday announced that it has begun the process of conducting state assembly elections in the states of Haryana, Maharashtra, Jharkhand and Jammu and Kashmir.
“Following the successful completion of the 18th general elections to the Lok Sabha, the Election Commission of India has updated the electoral rolls in the states of Haryana, Maharashtra and Jharkhand with July 1 as the eligibility date and begun preparations for the upcoming state assembly elections,” the Election Commission said in a statement.
The terms of the current legislatures in the three states are scheduled to end on November 3, November 26, and January 5 next year, respectively, and the elections are scheduled to be held before the expiration of these states’ terms.
“Furthermore, general elections to the Legislative Assembly of the Union Territory (UT) of Jammu and Kashmir will also be held for formation of a new House after delimitation of constituencies. In view of the large participation of the people of Jammu and Kashmir in the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections, the Commission has directed that the electoral roll of the UT be updated with July 1 as the date of eligibility,” it said.
Notably, in December last year, the Supreme Court had directed the ECI to hold state assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir by September 30, 2024.
“The last Special Summary Revision (SSR) of the Electoral Roll was conducted in all the States and Union Territories with eligibility date being January 1, 2024. Amendment to Section 14 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950 by the Election (Amendment) Act, 2021 allows for fixing of four eligibility dates per year,” the Election Commission said.
To provide adequate opportunity to all eligible voters and unregistered citizens to register and cast their vote in the upcoming elections, the government has decided to conduct the second round of SSR in the states of Haryana, Jharkhand, Maharashtra and Jammu and Kashmir from July 1.
The Commission firmly believes that a pure, comprehensive and up-to-date electoral roll is the foundation for free, fair and credible elections, it said, adding, “To ensure the fidelity of the electoral roll, the Commission has laid special emphasis on carrying out thorough pre-revision activities before the publication of the draft electoral roll.”
The pre-SSR activities will begin from June 25 and the draft of the consolidated electoral roll will be published on July 25.
The period for claims and objections runs from July 25 to August 9, with the final electoral roll to be published on August 20.
The Election Commission called on all citizens eligible to vote, if they have not already done so, to come forward and register themselves on the electoral roll so that they can exercise their right to vote in the next elections.
