SRINAGAR: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has deferred the announcement of the Special Summary Revision (SSR) of electoral rolls in Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh and Himachal Pradesh, saying the schedule will be notified in due course, taking into account the weather conditions in these regions.
In a statement, the Commission said the revision exercise had not yet commenced in the three States and Union Territories and that its schedule would be announced separately, keeping local weather conditions in view.
The last revision of electoral rolls in Jammu and Kashmir was conducted in 2024. No such exercise has been undertaken in the Union Territory since then.
Meanwhile, the ECI announced the annual Special Summary Revision of electoral rolls in Arunachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, Mizoram, Odisha and Sikkim.
The exercise aims to enrol eligible voters, particularly young and first-time electors, while facilitating advance applications from individuals who will attain the qualifying age on April 1, July 1 and October 1, 2027.
According to the schedule announced by the Commission, draft electoral rolls will be published on November 30, while the final electoral rolls will be published on January 21, 2027.
The Commission has also prescribed safeguards for deletion of names from electoral rolls. Applications seeking deletion in cases involving repeated or multiple entries will be subject to field verification.
Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) will be required to personally cross-check deletion proposals exceeding two per cent of the electors at a polling station, as well as cases where the same objector submits more than five objections.
The Commission has clarified that furnishing Aadhaar details in Forms 6 and 8 will remain voluntary. No application for enrolment can be rejected, nor can an existing electoral entry be deleted, solely because an individual has not provided Aadhaar details.
Earlier, on October 15, the ECI had announced the Special Summary Revision exercise in 17 States and Union Territories, including poll-bound Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Manipur, Goa and Punjab.
In a change to the distribution process, the Commission had decided to provide electoral rolls to political parties in a readable PDF format instead of image files.
The ECI has also directed the chief secretaries of the respective States and Union Territories to ensure the availability of adequate manpower and resources for conducting the revision exercise.
