Haryana's Poll Preparations: Key Announcements by Chief Electoral Officer

Haryana Chief Electoral Officer Pankaj Agarwal has detailed the preparations for the upcoming assembly elections, including the setup of 20,629 polling booths and the release of a preliminary voter list. Party representatives are encouraged to review the list and report errors by August 16. Special dates are set for voter registration.

Haryana Chief Electoral Officer Pankaj Agarwal on Saturday announced that a total of 20,629 polling booths will be established for the upcoming assembly elections in the state.

The Haryana assembly polls are scheduled for later this year. On August 2, a preliminary voter list was published at all designated locations as part of the Election Commission's voter list revision program. Following this, Agarwal urged political party representatives to thoroughly review the list and report any discrepancies to the concerned election registration officer by August 16.

Agarwal also held a meeting with representatives of all recognized political parties to discuss the second revision of the voter list. The first-level checking of electronic voting machines is currently being conducted in all 22 districts by engineers from Bharat Electronics Limited. Representatives from political parties are allowed to be present during this checking by contacting their district office in charge.

Agarwal highlighted specific dates -- August 3, 4, 10, and 11 -- for the preparation of the revised voter list, with Booth Level Officers available at polling stations to assist in voter registrations. He urged political parties to appoint booth level agents who can coordinate with BLOs on these dates. Recognized political parties are entitled to receive two copies of the voter lists, one printed and one digital. The draft voter list is now available, and claims or objections will be resolved by August 26. The final voter list will be published on August 27, and only those listed will be permitted to vote.

(With inputs from agencies.)