Tarun Karthick
Port Blair, 27 October 2023
In a significant development, a meeting was convened today under the chairmanship of Chief Electoral Officer for the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Mr. B S Jaglan, IAS. The gathering included representatives from all recognised political parties and members of the media, all of whom came together to discuss the publication of the Draft Electoral Rolls for the year 2024. The meeting took place in the Mini Conference Hall of the Secretariat.
The Chief Electoral Officer was joined by key officials, including the District Election Officer, Ms. Veditha Reddy, IAS, the Electoral Registration Officer/Joint CEO, Mr. Dilkhush Meena, IAS, Dy. CEO, Mr. Azharuddin Zahiruddin Quazi, IAS, and other electoral-related officers.
During the meeting, Mr. B S Jaglan emphasised the crucial role that political party representatives play in the Special Summary Revision of the Electoral Roll for 2024. He urged these representatives to appoint Booth Level Agents (BLAs) who would collaborate with Booth Level Officers (BLOs) during the revision process. Their responsibilities include identifying any eligible voters who may have been missed, updating residential addresses, and encouraging citizens who are going to attain the age of eighteen on specified qualifying dates in 2024 to enroll in the electoral rolls. The Draft Electoral Roll for 2024 was also shared with the political parties in attendance.
Addressing the schedule for the Special Summary Revision of 2024, the CEO announced that the Draft Electoral Roll has been published on October 27, 2023. The period for filing claims and objections will extend from October 27 to December 9, 2023. The disposal of these claims and objections is scheduled to be completed by December 26, 2023. Following this, there will be a thorough check of health parameters, and obtaining the Commission’s permission for the final publication, along with updating the database and printing of supplements, is set for January 1, 2024. The final publication of the Electoral Roll is expected to be on January 5, 2024.
According to the Draft Electoral Roll for 2024, there are a total of 307,355 electors, including 160,606 male electors, 146,746 female electors, and three individuals identifying as the third gender. Of this total, 1,770 are young electors between the ages of 18 and 19. There are 412 polling stations located in 346 different places across the region.
Chief Electoral Officer, Mr. B S Jaglan stressed the importance of creating a robust electoral roll, as the Special Summary Revision for 2024 holds significant implications for the upcoming parliamentary election in 2024.
Throughout the meeting, political parties were invited to present their suggestions and concerns, and all doubts were addressed and resolved as part of this collaborative effort to ensure the integrity of the electoral process.