Final rolls expected by May; Urban local body rolls only after SIR
Srinagar, Mar 09: J&K’s State Election Commissioner, Shantmanu, on Monday directed officials to gear up for the revision of Panchayat electoral rolls in Jammu and Kashmir. The exercise is likely to begin in the fourth week of this month.
Sources told news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that Shantmanu chaired a high-level meeting today to review preparations for the revision of electoral rolls in the Union Territory.
The meeting was attended by both divisional commissioners, deputy commissioners, the commissioners of Srinagar Municipal Corporation and Jammu Municipal Corporation, as well as officials from the Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Department.
During the meeting, the SEC instructed officials to remain prepared for the upcoming revision of the Panchayat electoral rolls across the Union Territory.
“The exercise is likely to begin in the fourth week of this month with the unveiling of draft electoral rolls,” sources said, adding that the process is expected to be completed by the first or second week of May with the publication of final electoral rolls.
According to officials, the electoral roll for Urban Local Bodies will be available only after the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) is completed in J&K.
“The electoral roll of assembly polls is used for municipal polls. No revision of electoral rolls for assembly polls has been undertaken since 2021. So, new electoral roll of Assembly is expected to be available only after the SIR exercise,” they added.
The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise is expected to begin in April, as the Election Commission of India (ECI) pointed out in a communique to the Chief Electoral Officers of States and Union Territories.
It is worth to mention here that the term of the first two tiers of the Panchayati Raj system-Panchayats and Block Development Councils-ended on January 9, 2024, while the tenure of the third tier-District Development Councils-concluded on February 24, 2026. The tenure of elected Urban Local Bodies came to an end in October-November 2023. (KNO)
