Deputy Election Commissioner reviews preparedness for Lok Sabha polls with officials of Punjab, Haryana

Deputy Election Commissioner Hirdesh Kumar on Thursday convened a meeting with chief electoral officers and deputy commissioner-cum-district election officers from Haryana, Punjab and Chandigarh to review the preparedness for the Lok Sabha polls due next year.In the meeting, a detailed discussion was also held on the revision of voter lists in preparation for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, according to a Haryana government statement.Kumar highlighted a significant change initiated by the Election Commission, enabling the youth to register as voters at the age of 17.

Deputy Election Commissioner Hirdesh Kumar on Thursday convened a meeting with chief electoral officers and deputy commissioner-cum-district election officers from Haryana, Punjab and Chandigarh to review the preparedness for the Lok Sabha polls due next year.

In the meeting, a detailed discussion was also held on the revision of voter lists in preparation for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, according to a Haryana government statement.

Kumar highlighted a significant change initiated by the Election Commission, enabling the youth to register as voters at the age of 17. Previously, eligibility was restricted to those turning 18 on or before January 1 of a given year.

Under the revised rules, the youth can now register as voters on specific dates, that is January 1, April 1, July 1 and October 1, coinciding with their 18th birthday, according to the statement.

He said that those turning 18 by January 1, April 1, July 1, and October 1, 2023, should make it a priority to register themselves as voters during the year.

He emphasized that the deputy commissioner-cum-district election officers must communicate changes in polling stations, whether they involve reductions or expansions, to political parties.

The Election Commission has lauded the efforts of Anurag Agarwal, the Chief Electoral Officer of Haryana, in the development of an innovative mobile application designed for queue management, the statement added.

This application, a first in the nation, has been created to enhance the convenience of voters by allowing them to determine their place in the queue, eliminating the need to stand in long lines, the statement said.

Regarding voter statistics in Haryana, Agarwal reported a total of 1,95,48,846 registered voters in the state.

Haryana has 19,863 polling stations. The average number of voters per polling station stands at 984, said the statement.

Agarwal said that the voter registration process is ongoing in Haryana, with special campaigns targeting voter registration in group housing societies in major cities such as Gurugram and Faridabad.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)