EC announces five phased polling for Jharkhand and J-K

The Election Commission on Saturday announced that elections in Jammu and Kashmir and Jharkhand will be held in five-phases beginning from November 25.

The elections in the two states will take place on November 25, December 2, December 9, December 14 and December 20. Apart from these two states, there are three assembly constituencies in Delhi - Mehrauli, Tughlaqabad and Krishna Nagar-where elections will also be held.

Counting of votes in both states will take place on December 23. The last date for the filing of nominations is November 5, while the last date for scrutiny will be November 7. The last date for withdrawal of nominations will be November 10.

The Election Commission (EC) announced the poll dates for both the states after taking various factors into consideration like climatic conditions, harvesting, festivals, law and order, post flood situation in the poll bound state like Jammu and Kashmir.

Announcing the poll dates, Chief Election Commissioner V.S. Sampath said that electoral rolls for Jharkhand were revised under a special summary revision taking January 1, 2014 as the qualifying date and final electoral list was published on July 31.

While in the case of Jammu and Kashmir, he said, "For Jammu and Kashmir, under their law, there is a provision to take different qualifying dates, taking October 1, 2014 as the qualifying date, rolls for Jammu and Kashmir were revised and the final electoral roll was published on October 15, 2014."

He also stated that total number of electorates in Jharkhand is 207.44 lakhs, while in Jammu and Kashmir it is 72.25 lakhs.

Electronic Voting Machines will be used in both states during the polls. In addition, voter verifiable paper audit trials will be used in Jammu and Kashmir in three assembly constituencies. In Jharkhand, it will be used in seven assembly constituencies.

Sampath also gave details about the number of seats and which ones were reserved. In the case of Jharkhand which has an 81-member Assembly, he said nine seats have been reserved for the Scheduled Caste candidates, while 28 have been reserved for Scheduled Tribe candidates.

In the case of Jammu and Kashmir, which has 87 member Assembly, seven seats are reserved for the Scheduled Caste candidates, while there is no reservation for Scheduled Tribes in the state.

The Commission said that subsequent to the Supreme Court order, the option of NOTA will be made available on the EVM during the elections in both the states and suitable voter awareness measures will be taken to make the people aware of the availability about this option.

Sampath also stated that in a significant voter facilitation measures taken by the Election Commission over a number of elections in the recent past, photo voter slips will be issued to the voters in this election also through Commission machinery.

In terms of law and order, the CEC said both states going to the polls are sensitive from the law and order and security points of view.

He said: "Commission has taken all precautions for elaborate measures to identify the security requirement by having suitable discussions with authorities concerned and every possible measure is being taken to ensure free and fair polls."

He said that the Central Armed Police Force, the State Armed Police Force drawn from other states as well as from poll going states will be made use of to ensure free and fair polls.

The EC would also be deploying sufficient number of general observers, expenditure observers, micro-observers and police officers as police observers in very sensitive districts in all poll going states depending upon the need and sensitivity.

The current term of the 81-member Jharkhand Assembly expires on January 3 next year. The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) is ruling Jharkhand with the Congress.

The Jammu and Kashmir Assembly comprises 87 members. Presently, the state is being run by a National Conference-Congress alliance. The term of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly expires on January 19 next year.