Jharkhand chief electoral officer K Ravi Kumar has directed election officials to accelerate hearings under the ongoing Special Intensive Revision and complete the digitisation of electoral forms, with a focus on preventing eligible voters from being left out of the rolls.
Kumar issued the instructions during a video conference with district election officers, electoral registration officers and other officials on Saturday. The review covered hearings involving unmapped electors and logical discrepancies, the disposal of claims and objections, and the digitisation of Forms 6, 7 and 8.
Officials were asked to intensify monitoring of booth-level officers and supervisors, especially at polling stations where the digitisation of Form 6 is progressing slowly. Form 6 is used by eligible citizens to apply for inclusion in the electoral roll. Kumar also directed officials to ensure that records on the ECINET platform remain accurate and updated.
The chief electoral officer said updated Special Intensive Revision data would be shared with recognised political parties at a review meeting scheduled for October 26. He also instructed officials to carry out physical verification as part of the house-to-house electoral roll exercise.
Kumar ordered the organisation of special Form 6 camps, particularly in tribal-dominated areas, to help eligible residents enrol and obtain the required documents. Officials were separately directed to reach out to vulnerable and underserved groups, including persons with disabilities, senior citizens, migrant workers, homeless people and residents of remote villages.
The instructions also covered the conduct of hearings. Kumar cautioned officials against treating them as a routine exercise and said decisions should be based on proper scrutiny of records and documentary evidence. “Orders should be issued case-wise rather than through collective disposal,” he said.
The electoral roll exercise has two stated objectives: ensuring that no eligible voter is excluded and preventing the enrolment of ineligible voters. The next formal milestone will be the October 26 review meeting, when the updated revision data is expected to be shared with recognised political parties.
