CORRESPONDENT
ITANAGAR: Joint chief electoral officer (JCEO) of Arunachal Pradesh, Liken Koyu, on Thursday reviewed the preparedness for the upcoming special intensive revision (SIR) of the electoral roll in a virtual coordination meeting with all electoral registration officers (EROs) of the state.
Koyu explained the entire SIR flowchart for better understanding and coordinated action, while emphasising the importance of mapping the 2025 electoral roll against that of 2006.
He directed the officers to prepare observation lists that include details such as dead voters, duplicate entries, shifted voters, new enrolments, and centenarian voters.
The meeting also discussed the inadequate participation of political parties in district-level coordination meetings convened by the district election officers (DEOs), and the poor appointment of booth level agents (BLAs) by several parties.
Koyu informed that a coordination meeting with state party presidents had already been held on September 16, followed by a communiqué on September 23, urging parties to ensure proactive participation at the district level and appoint BLAs for every polling booth.
Other issues reviewed included the progress of the table-top exercise by Booth Level Officers (BLOs), timely disposal of pending forms in ERONET, performance review and replacement of non-performing BLOs, training for BLOs and supervisors, and the preparation of a plan to cover shadow areas during the revision process. The meeting also stressed the role of DIPROs in enhancing outreach.
Deputy Chief electoral officer Shania Kayem Mize covered key points related to media issues and inspection of the EVM warehouse, during the meeting.
Meanwhile, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has introduced a new measure to streamline the counting of postal ballots, making it the 30th major initiative undertaken by the poll body in the past six months to improve transparency and efficiency in the electoral process.
Under the new guideline, the penultimate round of counting of EVMs and VVPATs will now be taken up only after the completion of postal ballot counting at counting centres. The decision comes in view of a significant rise in postal ballots following the Commission’s recent provision of home voting facilities for Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) and senior citizens aged 85 and above.
Currently, counting of postal ballots begins at 8:00 AM on counting day, followed by EVM counting at 8:30am. Earlier instructions allowed EVM counting to continue irrespective of the stage of postal ballot counting, leading to a possibility of EVM counting concluding before postal ballot counting.
To ensure clarity and uniformity, the Commission has now directed returning officers to make adequate arrangements, including sufficient counting tables and staff, especially in constituencies with a large number of postal ballots. This is aimed at avoiding delays and ensuring that the entire process remains streamlined.
Also Read: Arunachal: ITI instructors gain AI skills to revolutionise vocational training
Also Watch: