For the third consecutive year, Jammu & Kashmir will not be part of the special summary revision of voters undertaken by the Election Commission of India due to ongoing delimitation exercise in the Union Territory.
An ECI communique accessed by news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) reveals that J&K has been excluded from special summary revision-2022 by the poll body. “I am directed to state that the commission has directed to undertake special summary revision of photo electoral rolls with reference to 01.01 .2022, as the qualifying date, in all the States/UTs (except UT of Jammu and Kashmir),” read the ECI communique to chief electoral officers of States and UTs.
Known as special summary revision, the exercise gives an opportunity to citizens to enroll themselves as voters and also verify their electoral details.
Since the reorganization of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir in August 2019, no revision of electoral rolls has been undertaken by the poll body in the Union Territory.
J&K was also not part of special summary revision-2020 and SSR-2021 carried out by the poll body in states and UTs.
“The ECI does not conduct a special summary revision of electoral rolls in the States and UTs where delimitation exercise is underway,” a senior official of the poll-body told KNO.
A three-member delimitation commission has been mandated to undertake the delimitation of 90 assembly segments and five parliamentary segments of J&K UT.
Headed by former SC judge, Justice (retired) Ranjana Desai, the commission was set up on March 6, 2020. Its tenure was extended to March 2022 when its one-year term expired earlier this year.
The Commission also visited J&K in the first week of July to get inputs and feedback from political parties and the administration of the UT—(KNO