J&K CEO reviews LS polls preparations in Ramban

Jammu, Mar 3 (PTI) Jammu and Kashmir Chief Electoral Officer P K Pole on Sunday reviewed preparations for the ensuing Lok Sabha elections in Ramban district, an official spokesperson said.

Pole held a meeting with District Election Officer, Ramban Baseer-Ul-Haq Chaudhary and other senior civil and police officers.

Discussions were held on the district election management plan, electoral roll processes, logistical requisites, risk assessment, Electronic Voting Machine transportation, polling staff deployment and security arrangements, he said.

The CEO expressed satisfaction over the preparedness for the general election in the district, located on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway.

The district, being a crucial connecting link to Kashmir, has made a separate plan to tackle the road transport challenges and other logistics, the spokesperson said.

Pole affirmed the conduct of a free, fair, and transparent Lok Sabha election while expecting a high turnout of voters in the district.

He emphasised the rigorous training of electoral manpower both officials and non-officials and awareness of voters, especially first-time voters on EVM and voter-verified paper audit trail (VVPAT), the spokesperson said.

He said other vital issues discussed in the meeting inter alia included allocation of adequate human resources, implementation of Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) plans at the booth level, formulation of a comprehensive material management plan, secure route mapping and development of an extensive training regimen for Assistant Returning Officers (AROs).

In a bid to bolster public participation, AROs were tasked with executing awareness campaigns at the booth level, engaging Block Level Officers (BLOs), sports personalities, government employees, youth icons, and influencers besides organizing sports events, rallies, competitions and door-to-door campaigns as per district SVEEP plan, the spokesperson said.

Underlining the significance of Adequate Minimum Facilities (AMF), the CEO directed the district administration to ensure clean washrooms, provision of drinking water, first aid facilities, and uninterrupted electricity for polling staff and security personnel on election days.