J&K admin gears up to update electoral roll for panchayat polls

Jammu: To initiate the process for the panchayat polls, the Jammu and Kashmir administration has begun preparations to update the electoral roll starting November 11, following a directive from the State Election Commission (SEC) to publish the revised list by January 6 next year.

The SEC recently directed for a special revision of the electoral roll in view of the panchayat polls.

Deputy commissioners in all 20 districts of Jammu and Kashmir have started the revision process after the SEC issued the official notification last week, officials said.

District panchayat election officers (DPEOs) have instructed officials to carry out the roll updates with key stages that include adding new eligible voters, updating the existing voter information and removing ineligible entries.

Officials have been directed to ensure accuracy and efficiency during the verification process and conduct outreach efforts to inform the citizens of their right to participate in the democratic process.

The administration has emphasised engaging with local communities to ensure that eligible residents, especially newly-eligible voters, are registered and able to exercise their voting rights. Any discrepancies or grievances arising during this process are to be promptly addressed.

As part of the special summary revision of the panchayat electoral roll, a draft will be published on November 11. The period for filing claims and objections (including for additions, deletions, corrections and transpositions) will run from November 11 to December 9.

Special camps are scheduled from November 16 to December 1 to facilitate public participation, and claims and objections will be resolved by December 24. The final panchayat electoral roll for 2024 will be published on January 6 next year.

The revision, which uses January 1, 2025, as the qualifying date, aims at creating an accurate and up-to-date electoral roll to support a transparent and fair democratic process at the grassroots level, the officials said.

Notably, these elections fall under the jurisdiction of the Jammu and Kashmir State Election Commission, not the Election Commission of India, the officials said.

The last panchayat polls in Jammu and Kashmir were held in 2018 after a gap of several years. The term of the Panchayati Raj institutions expired on January 9 this year.

This will also be the first panchayat election since the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution in 2019, with around 35,000 panchayat representatives elected, including approximately 4,490 sarpanches, across the Union Territory.

However, clarity on the exact timing of the next municipal and panchayat polls is awaited as the Centre has prioritised conducting a delimitation exercise.