Bhubaneswar: The process for summary revision of the electoral roll in Odisha was set in motion Saturday, a senior official said.
Odisha’s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Surendra Kumar told reporters here that the final voters’ list for the next elections in the state will be published January 4, 2019.
Those who attain the age of 18 January 2019 are eligible to register their names in the voter list. The inclusion and exclusion of voters in the list would be allowed till October 31 this year, he said.
ELECTIONS AHOY!
# Lok Sabha, Odisha Assembly elections due in April-May 2019
# Final voters’ list to be published January 4, 2019
# Those who attain the age of 18 January 2019 are eligible to register their names
# Claims and objections to be heard up to October 31
# Disposal of claims and objections before November 30.
# After voter list revision in 2018 there are 3,12,52,333 voters – 1,61,14,200 men, 1,51,36,036 women and 2,097 third gender
# Number of polling booths 37,606; likely to go up by 1,800 to 2,000
Claims and objections would be heard up to October 31 and disposal of the same will be done before November 30. People whose names figure in voter list of more than one area should retain their names only in one and take steps for deletion, he said.
The first-time voters, who are yet to be included in the voter list, can also apply online through the national voter service portal of the Election Commission of India, the CEO said.
Political parties were requested to cooperate during the revision of electoral roll and ensure that no eligible person is left out. If there is any error in the list, it should be revised, he said.
Political parties have already been asked to appoint their booth-level agents and inform respective district election officers and the Collectors after the appointment.
As per the voter list revision done in 2018 there are 3,12,57,803 voters – 1,61,16,754 men, 1,51,38,898 women and 2,151 third gender– said an official.
The number of polling booths was 35,896, he said adding that their number for the next elections is likely to go up by at least 1,800 to 2,000 in the state.
Along with Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machines will be also used in the upcoming elections, he said.
Revision of electoral roll is part of the preparations for conducting elections for Lok Sabha and Odisha Assembly which are due in April or May 2019, he said.
Odisha Assembly elections were held simultaneously with the Lok Sabha polls in 2014.
PNN