CDs of draft poll rolls handed over to parties

Chandigarh, November 9

Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Dr S Karuna Raju on Wednesday held a meeting with representatives of political parties to hand over CDs of draft publication of electoral rolls (without photos). A special drive to update the voter list — Special Summary Revision-2023 — has begun with the publication of a draft electoral roll.

Dr Raju apprised the representatives of recognised political parties that consequent to amendment to Section 14 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, and corresponding changes in the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, four qualifying dates — January 1, Apri 1, July 1 and October 1 — had come into force, starting August this year.

The CEO informed the representatives that as per the directions of the Election Commission of India, the process of collection of Aadhaar number of the registered electors on a voluntary basis was being carried out in the state and 66.38 per cent electors had already linked their Aadhaar with the voter card.

Commencing on November 9, the revision activities will be carried out till December 8 and citizens will also get an opportunity to file claims and objections during this period.

Seeking cooperation from political parties, the CEO stated that special camps would be held on November 19-20 and on December 3-4, where booth-level officers (BLOs) would be present at their respective polling stations. He also appealed to the representatives to appoint booth-level agents and participate in the special camps to ensure enrolment of eligible electors.

Meanwhile, to mark the beginning of the mega drive to update the voter list, a cyclothon under the banner of “Pedal for Participative Elections” followed by a state-level event was organised in Mohali on Wednesday. The event was aimed to sensitise youth about the significance of voting to ensure maximum electoral participation.