Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Sept 30: In a major decision, the Election Commission of India (ECI) today deferred till October 15 the publication of final electoral rolls of summary revision taking into view the extra ordinary situation in some parts of Jammu and Kashmir including Poonch district of Jammu region and many parts of the Kashmir Valley. The final rolls were scheduled to be published tomorrow after about two and half months of extensive exercise by the State Election Department.
The Election Commission took a decision to this effect today, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Umang Narula told the Excelsior this evening.
He said the decision was necessitated as some work pertaining to publication of final electoral rolls of summary revision was still pending due to loss of connectivity including internet in the Kashmir Valley and Poonch district of Jammu region and it had become impossible for the Election Department to publish final electoral rolls on due date tomorrow.
“The Election Commission has taken a decision this evening. It has decided to defer till October 15 the publication of final electoral rolls after summary revision taking into account the situation that had arisen after unprecedented floods and rains in the State,’’ Narula said.
He added that in Jammu and Ladakh regions, the work pertaining to publication of final rolls of summary revision was complete except Poonch district, which has been hit hard by the floods. In Kashmir Valley, the work was pending in some districts as NIC system remained down for some days, internet and telephone services were also hit and Deputy Commissioners, who serve as District Electoral Officers (DEOs) and their associates were busy with relief and rehabilitation work after the floods.
The CEO said with the situation now somewhat normal, the remaining task of the Election Commission on summary revision of electoral rolls will be completed by October 15.
The process for summary revision of electoral rolls had been set into motion by the Election Department on July 16 and publication of final rolls was due tomorrow. Jammu and Kashmir has four dates for summary revision of electoral rolls including January 1, April 1, July 1 and October 1 as against only January 1 in other States.
Meanwhile, in another important decision, the State Government has approved new rules, framed by the Election Commission of India, increasing expenditure limit in the Assembly elections by a candidate to Rs 28 lakh as against previous amount of just Rs 5 lakh.
This amounts to about six times hike in election expenditure for a candidate by the Assembly elections.
Narula said all other States in the country had already implemented the Election Commission guideline of increasing expenditure limit in the Assembly elections from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 28 lakh while Jammu and Kashmir was yet to do that. However, the State Government has now also revised the rules and increased the limit of election expenditure to Rs 28 lakh.
Sources said the new limit will help the Assembly candidates as and when the elections are held.
Meanwhile, the Election Department has asked all District Election Officers (Deputy Commissioners), where work for publication of final electoral rolls of summary revision was pending due to floods and situation aftermath, to execute the task in the extended deadline so that the final rolls could be published on October 15.
Sources said that work pertaining to publication of final electoral rolls has already started in the flood affected districts with a direction to the DEOs to devote their energy fully on the work taking it as first priority.
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