EC kicks off J-K poll preparation with voters’ list

The Election Commission has begun its preparations for the J-K polls in right earnest. The Commission has instructed all district magistrate...

The Election Commission has begun its preparations for the J-K polls in right earnest. The Commission has instructed all district magistrates to undertake a revision of electoral rolls, a task not undertaken during the last two polls.

This would eliminate complaints of bogus voters lists. The Commission’s decision to introduce Electronic voting machines (EVMs) is another step aimed at offsetting chances of ‘‘stuffing ballot boxes in advance.’’

The yet to be tackled problem, however, remains the reluctance of new generation of voters to register their names in the voters’ list. It has also been briefing officers up to the level of sub-divisional magistrates on their task in the run-up to the September polls.

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‘‘We are conscious of the fact that elections in J-K should not only be fair but also appear so,’’ an EC official said. The Commission is also trying to build up confidence of separatist elements eager to take part in the polls but are wary of the ‘‘rigging’’. Separatist leaders had conveyed these apprehension to the Centre through mediators.

‘‘The entire world would be monitoring the polls and a small mistake would be seen as a problem for next six years,’’ a source said.

The police said that Kumar, a resident of Turbhe MIDC in Navi Mumbai, was driving his concrete mixer truck when it collided with an SUV.

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