Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Aug 26: With Election Commission setting biggest ever exercise of summary revision of electoral rolls into motion from September 15, the Jammu and Kashmir, has for the first time, segregated urban and rural electorates, which will facilitate holding of Municipalities and Panchayat elections at the earliest date on decision taken by the State Government as voters for both the elections will be readily available.
The summary revision of electoral rolls, which is starting on September 15 in entire Jammu and Kashmir, will culminate with final publication of electoral rolls in the first week of January 2016. The Election Commission has kept January 1, 2016 as qualifying date for enrollment of the young voters.
Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Jammu and Kashmir, Shantmanu told the Excelsior that the Election Commission was fully geared up to start summary revision of electoral rolls in the State from September 15, 2015 and complete the exercise in first week of January 2016, the deadline set by the Election Commission of India. He said he has held video conferencing with all the Deputy Commissioners of the State and passed necessary directions and schedule to them for publication of electoral rolls.
Shantmanu said they have separated urban and rural voters in Jammu and Kashmir after clubbing votes of four previous electoral revisions from 2013 onwards including two annual revisions and two special revisions undertaken for Parliament and Assembly elections in the State.
“We have prepared single electoral roll after clubbing two previous annual summary revisions and two special summary revisions. Based on this, we have segregated urban and rural voters in Jammu and Kashmir, which would facilitate holding of Urban Local Bodies and Panchayat elections with ease as and when required with partial modifications,” the CEO said.
The Urban Local Bodies elections in Jammu and Kashmir were due since March 2010 i.e. more than five years while Panchayat elections in the State will become due in May-June 2016. According to sources, as and when the State Government required urban voters for holding Municipal elections and rural electorates for Panchayat elections, they would be readily available after additions, if required at that time.
Urban Local Bodies elections in the State were last held in January 2005 while the elected Municipalities had been formed in March 2005. Their five year tenure expired in March 2010. However, the then National Conference-Congress coalition Govern-ment didn’t hold the elections and kept them pending on different pretexts. The PDP-BJP Government after taking over the reign of affairs on March 1, 2015 had also expressed desire to hold the Urban Local Bodies elections in October but in view of AIIMS agitation in Jammu, it too seems to have decided to defer the polls, at least for the time being.
However, the Panchayat elections, which were held by the previous NC-Congress Government in April-May 2011 after about 35 years, will become due in April-May next year.
As final electoral rolls after summary revision will be published in the first week of January 2016, the total electorates will also be segregated into urban and rural voters, sources said.
Presently, J&K has about 7 million electorates.
Beginning September 15, the Election Commission will give about one month’s time to the people for enrollment as new voters followed by publication of draft rolls after which the people can opt for addition, deletion and correction of the names apart from objections. The final electoral rolls will be published in first week of January next year.
Sources said the CEO J&K has briefed all the Deputy Commissioners of Jammu and Kashmir through video conferencing to deploy the necessary staff for summary revision of electoral rolls all over the State.
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