Voter roll revision in Jharkhand to begin soon, 2003 list to act as baseline

After Bihar, Jharkhand is set to begin an intensive voter revision drive aimed at cleansing and updating the state’s electoral rolls. Acting on the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) directive, the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) has completed preliminary preparations for the campaign, which will freshly identify all eligible voters across the state.

Chief Electoral Officer K Ravi Kumar said the pre-revision activity has been completed in accordance with the ECI’s June 2024 guidelines. “Polling booths have been rationalised so that each covers about 1,200 voters within a two-kilometre radius. Mapping work has also been completed using cadastral references,” he said. The next phase will involve voter identification and verification, for which the state is awaiting further instructions from the Commission.

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The 2003 electoral roll will serve as the baseline for this revision. Officials clarified that anyone whose name appeared in the 2003 list will not be required to re-establish eligibility. Those whose names were absent can be verified based on the inclusion of their parents or other household members who were listed that year. The ECI’s objective, officials said, is to ensure that all eligible citizens are included while removing ineligible or duplicate entries and maintaining full transparency in the process.

The Commission has cited several factors behind the need for this exhaustive revision, including rapid urbanisation, large-scale migration, deaths not being reported, and the inclusion of ineligible or foreign names. It also aims to bring into the rolls the new generation of first-time voters who have reached the eligible age since the last major revision.

According to the new criteria, those born before July 1, 1987, will need to furnish any official document confirming date and place of birth. Citizens born between July 1, 1987, and December 2, 2004, must provide similar documents along with one parent’s proof. Those born after December 2, 2004, will have to submit documents for both themselves and their parents. Valid government records such as birth certificates, school documents, or Aadhaar-based verification will be accepted.

Though the exercise is administrative in nature, its political implications are evident. The last such revision in Bihar led to sharp exchanges between political rivals over migration, citizenship, and eligibility. With the process now set to begin in Jharkhand, a similar debate could soon surface as parties prepare for the next electoral cycle.

The ECI is expected to announce the detailed schedule for Jharkhand’s voter revision in the coming weeks.