Kerala's electoral roll revision puts spotlight on CEO's multiple charges

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala's statewide electoral roll revision drive, scheduled to begin on October 15, comes at a time when Chief Electoral Officer D. Sajith Babu is also handling the General Education and Minority Welfare departments.

The electoral enrolment initiatives will involve officials across all districts, with a special drive from October 15 to 31, followed by a week-long ‘Campus to Booth’ campaign from November 2 to encourage young voters to enrol.

Sajith Babu, a 2012-batch IAS officer holding the rank of Special Secretary, was designated as CEO by the Election Commission of India (ECI) in August.

He continues to hold charge of two other departments too.

The latest drive aims to enrol eligible voters and address discrepancies in electoral records.

District Collectors have been instructed to establish form distribution centres and digital help desks around Village Offices.

Eligible voters can apply for inclusion in the electoral roll using Form 6, either at the designated centres or online.

Booth Level Officers (BLOs) will verify applications through field visits, while Electoral Registration Officers will examine discrepancies between electoral rolls and applications that remained unresolved during earlier revision exercises.

The ‘Campus to Booth’ campaign will be conducted in colleges, higher secondary schools and schools across the state.

District Collectors have been asked to ensure maximum student participation in voter awareness and enrolment activities.

The General Education Department, which oversees the state’s extensive school network, and the Minority Welfare Department have their own administrative responsibilities alongside the CEO’s election-related work.

The arrangement places three distinct areas of administration under one officer at a time when electoral roll verification and new voter enrolment require coordination across the state.

Under Section 13A of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, the CEO functions under the control of the Election Commission in supervising electoral work in the state.

With the revision drive approaching, the focus will be on the effective implementation of the Commission’s instructions and the timely completion of verification and enrolment activities across Kerala.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

IANS

[email protected]