Assam State Election Commission Sets Schedule for Updated Panchayat Electoral Rolls Ahead of 2025 Elections

The Assam State Election Commission (SEC) has revised the electoral roll for Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) using the Online Electoral Roll Management System (OERMS), developed by NIC, Assam. This update follows the initial publication of the Assam Panchayat Electoral Roll on September 29, 2023, highlighting a major advancement in transparency and efficiency.

In October 2023, the Assam Government amended the Panchayat Act of 1994, incorporating a new section 3A in the Act to establish District Delimitation Commissions, which resulted in a delay of the Panchayat elections that were initially scheduled for December 2023.

To prepare for the elections, the SEC introduced a two-phase process. The first phase was completed with the publication of the Assam Panchayat Roll on Septemner 29, 2023, based on the Assam Assembly Rolls published on February 8, 2024. The second phase will update the roll to reflect the newly defined boundaries of Gaon Panchayats, Anchalik Panchayats, and Zilla Parishads. 

As per the schedule issued by the Commission, the preparation of the electoral rolls will involve several stages:

1. Basic preliminary work, including remote training for officials, will be conducted from November 21 to November 24, 2024.

2. Reorganization of master data, assigning or unassigning voters based on the new delimitation, will take place from November 25 to December 10, 2024.

3. Publication of Draft Electoral Rolls is scheduled for December 11, 2024.

4. Display of the draft rolls at the offices of Gaon Panchayats, Zilla Parishads, and Block Development Officers, as well as on the OERMS platform and district websites, will occur between December 12 and December 13, 2024.

5. Claims and objections regarding the draft rolls will be accepted from December 14 to December 21, 2024.

6. Disposal of Claims and Objections will be carried out from December 22 to December 26, 2024.

7. Final electoral rolls will be published on December 26, 2024.

After the delimitation process is completed, District Commissioners will release the updated voter list, which will be used for the Panchayat elections, with January 1, 2025, serving as the eligibility date for voters.

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