Ranchi: Jharkhand's Chief Electoral Officer, K Ravi Kumar, has instructed district election teams to accelerate hearings and complete the digitisation of electoral forms as part of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision of the electoral rolls, officials said.
Focus on inclusion and accurate records
During a video conference with district election officers, electoral registration officers and other functionaries on Saturday, the CEO emphasised two primary objectives: ensuring eligible electors are not left out of the rolls and preventing enrolment of ineligible persons. The review addressed hearings related to unmapped electors, logical discrepancies, disposal of claims and objections, and the digitisation progress of Forms 6, 7 and 8.
Officials were directed to intensify supervision at the booth level, particularly at polling stations where digitisation of Form 6—the application form used by citizens seeking inclusion in the electoral roll—is proceeding slowly. Kumar also stressed the need to keep records on the ECINET platform accurate and up to date.
Targeted outreach to marginalised groups
The CEO asked officials to organise special Form 6 camps, with particular attention to tribal-dominated areas, to assist eligible residents in enrolling and obtaining requisite documents. Separate instructions covered outreach to vulnerable and underserved groups, including:
- persons with disabilities;
- senior citizens;
- migrant workers;
- homeless people; and
- residents of remote villages.
He also ordered physical verification as part of the ongoing house-to-house exercise to validate entries and reduce errors or omissions on the rolls.
Hearings to be rigorous and case-wise
Kumar cautioned election officials against treating hearings as a routine administrative task and underlined the need for proper scrutiny of records and documentary evidence before decisions were taken. He instructed that disposals should be specific to each case rather than handled en masse.
“Orders should be issued case-wise rather than through collective disposal,”
The CEO indicated that the updated Special Intensive Revision data will be shared with recognised political parties at a scheduled review meeting on October 26, which will serve as the next formal milestone in the exercise.
Forms and processes under the push
Officials reviewed the digitisation status of Forms 6, 7 and 8 during the meeting. The three forms serve distinct functions in the electoral-registration framework and are being digitised to speed up processing and reduce paperwork.
| Form | Primary purpose |
|---|---|
| Form 6 | Application for inclusion of a new name in the electoral roll |
| Form 7 | Report of death or shift in residence affecting enrolment |
| Form 8 | Claim for correction of entries such as name, age or other particulars |
Monitoring and next steps
District officials were asked to monitor booth-level officers and supervisors closely. The CEO's direction to boost monitoring implicitly responds to uneven progress in digitisation across polling stations and aims to prevent eligible voters—especially those in remote or marginalised communities—from being excluded due to administrative delay.
The October 26 review meeting with recognised political parties will provide stakeholders with the consolidated revision data. Until that meeting, districts have been asked to continue physical verification and run targeted camps to complete outstanding enrolments and documentation support.
Implications for voters and administrators
The intensified schedule and digitisation drive are designed to shorten processing time for applications and objections and improve the accuracy of the rolls ahead of subsequent electoral events. For citizens, particularly in tribal and remote areas, the direction to hold special camps may ease access to enrolment services and documentation assistance.
Election officials, meanwhile, face the operational task of ensuring staff at the booth level complete digitisation and that records uploaded to ECINET reflect the verified ground position. The administration's emphasis on evidence-based, case-wise disposal of matters seeks to strengthen procedural transparency and reduce mistaken removals or improper inclusions.
Further updates are expected after the October 26 review when the CEO shares the revised Special Intensive Revision data with recognised political parties.
