List of dead, duplicate voters to be published with draft rolls: Jharkhand CEO

Ranchi: State’s chief electoral officer (CEO) K Ravi Kumar has said that a separate list of absent, shifted, dead and duplicate (ASDD) voters would be published along with the draft electoral rolls for the upcoming special intensive revision (SIR).

During a meeting with deputy electoral officers of all districts on Friday, the CEO said that the work of digitising the ASDD list should be completed in a timely manner.

He also said that officers should ensure that every action or decision is taken strictly in accordance with the established Acts and as directed by the Election Commission (EC).

“It is mandatory to get the ASDD list verified by the booth level agents (BLAs) of recognised political parties at the polling stations concerned. The meetings must be held in all districts with recognised political parties for coordination and updated status of pre-preparations for SIR of electoral rolls,” he told STOI on Saturday.

At the end of enumeration phase of SIR, the draft electoral rolls will be published along with a list comprising ASDD voters.

“Before finalisation of the ASDD list, booth level officers (BLOs) should hold meetings with the BLAs, and the proceedings of the meetings should be uploaded,” he said.

BLAs are representatives of registered political parties. There are nine registered parties in Jharkhand, of which three are regional, while six have pan-India presence.

“The draft electoral rolls along with the ASDD list will be displayed across all booths and also on the CEO’s website. In addition, all the lists will be given to all registered political parties in the state,” Kumar said.

He also said that EROs will decide whether a voter is genuine or not an ordinary resident on the basis of Section 20 of The Representation of the People Act, 1950, on a case-by-case basis.

Section 20 of the Act clarifies that owning a house does not make one a resident, temporary absence does not break residency, and it establishes rules for special cases like prisoners or individuals holding certain declared offices.

Kumar said that during door-to-door visits by BLOs, they should also prepare a list of the head of the household and the number of adult members residing, which would assist in the SIR process.

TOI