Jharkhand to hold 'Chunav Pathshala' at all polling booths on July 14 for electoral roll verification
Ranchi, July 10
Jharkhand will organise 'Chunav Pathshalas' at all polling stations across the state on July 14 to make the voter verification process more transparent and participatory under Special Intensive Revision.
During these sessions, Booth Level Officers (BLOs) will publicly read out the list of voters marked under the ASDD category -- Absent, Shifted, Dead, and Duplicate (registered at more than one location) -- to facilitate verification of the electoral rolls.
The initiative was announced by Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) K. Ravi Kumar during a review meeting with district officials on Friday.
The meeting, held via video conferencing, was attended by District Election Officers, Electoral Registration Officers (EROs), Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs), Deputy Election Officers, computer operators, and BLO supervisors.
During the review, the CEO directed officials to accelerate the digitisation of voter forms in areas where progress has been slow by organising special camps to ensure the exercise is completed within the stipulated timeline.
He also announced that joint meetings of BLOs and BLA-2 representatives would be held in all districts on July 14 alongside the Election Pathshala programme.
Emphasising the importance of the Special Intensive Revision exercise, K. Ravi Kumar said it is a crucial component of the democratic process and requires active participation from recognised political parties as well as voters.
He urged electors to fill out the enumeration forms correctly and return them to BLOs at the earliest.
The CEO clarified that enumeration forms must be filled only by eligible Indian citizens. Under Section 31 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, any foreign national furnishing false information or unlawfully filling out the form commits a punishable offence, and the concerned ERO will be required to register an FIR in such cases.
He further said that voters facing difficulties or confusion while filling out the forms can seek assistance from BLOs, volunteers, or AI-based video tutorials released by the Chief Electoral Officer's office. Officials were instructed to ensure accurate updating of voters' details and conduct the entire process in a transparent and error-free manner.
— IANS
Reader Comments
This is a much-needed transparency measure. I've seen cases where names of dead relatives still appear on voter lists, which can lead to misuse. By publicly reading out ASDD category names, it becomes easier for locals to flag errors. Also, the AI video tutorials for form-filling is a smart way to reach tech-savvy youth. But will the BLOs actually have enough time to explain everything properly on a single day? Let's wait and see.
Finally, some action on duplicate voters! In our village, I know people who are registered in two different booths. This ASDD list-reading exercise will hopefully catch such cases. But I am concerned about the implementation — what if BLOs don't show up or just rush through it? The CEO should have some monitoring mechanism on July 14. Also, FIR against foreigners filling forms — good to see strict rules being enforced. 👏
As a voter from Ranchi, I appreciate this initiative. But I wish they'd also hold such sessions on weekends or after work hours. Many working professionals can't attend on a weekday. And what about voters who are migrant workers? They might be far from their home booths. The dates should be more flexible. Still, any effort to clean up voter rolls is welcome. Democracy ka foundation sahi hona chahiye!
Honestly, I'm sceptical. Similar drives have happened before, but errors persist. The BLOs are overworked and underpaid. How many will actually take this seriously? Also, reading out names in public might embarrass families if someone's relative is listed as 'Dead' but they weren't informed. Needs sensitivity. On the positive side, involving political party reps (BLA-2) could bring accountability. Let's see if this time it's different. 🤔
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