Jharkhand Chief Electoral Officer K Ravi Kumar has directed district election authorities to accelerate voter enrolment and digitisation of Form-6 applications after the state’s electoral roll grew by only 3.89% during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision. The figure is below the anticipated growth of at least 8%, prompting a focus on districts and assembly constituencies reporting weaker performance.
The draft electoral roll published for Jharkhand’s 31,892 polling stations contains 2,21,01,249 electors, according to data released on Thursday. Election officials have received 8,59,162 Form-6 applications from people seeking inclusion in the roll, averaging 27 applications per polling station and translating into overall growth of 3.89%.
During a review of district-wise and constituency-wise progress, Kumar said authorities must ensure the inclusion of every eligible Indian citizen while preventing the entry of ineligible or foreign nationals into the electoral roll. He also directed officials to give special assistance to eligible residents who face difficulties completing registration formalities.
Koderma recorded the highest district-level growth at 5.80%, followed by Palamu at 4.86%, West Singhbhum at 4.85%, Khunti at 4.38% and Simdega at 4.35%. The lowest figures among the districts listed were reported in Pakur at 2.85%, Jamtara at 2.87%, Deoghar at 2.89%, Godda at 3.13% and Dumka at 3.22%.
At the assembly constituency level, Dhanbad recorded the highest growth at 6.18%. It was followed by Koderma at 5.80%, Majhgaon at 5.47%, Jamshedpur West at 5.35% and Daltonganj at 5.22%. Chandankyari recorded the lowest growth among the constituencies listed, at 2.56%, followed by Maheshpur at 2.65%, Sarath at 2.68%, Nala at 2.74% and Godda at 2.83%.
The chief electoral officer asked district election officers to work with colleges and universities to identify and assist eligible young voters, including first-time applicants. The participation of educational institutions is intended to raise awareness and facilitate the submission of Form-6 applications.
Kumar also instructed booth-level officer supervisors to review progress regularly and ensure that at least two new Form-6 applications per polling station are digitised every day. The directive places responsibility on local election administration to improve the processing of applications while continuing checks on eligibility and enrolment accuracy.
