Odisha’s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Surendra Kumar held a meeting with the representatives of different political parties of the State here on Thursday ahead of electoral roll revision for the upcoming general elections.
Finance Minister Sashi Bhusan Behera from BJD, Samir Mohanty and Pitambar Acharya from BJP and Congress State vice-president Shivananda Ray attended the meeting to discuss steps to ensure free and fair elections.
Revision in electoral rolls, appointment of agents at booth level, use of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and Voter-Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) and formation of new booths were discussed at the meeting.
The Chief Election Commission has fixed September 1 as the date from which electoral roll revision would begin.
“The political parties were asked to cooperate during the revision of electoral roll. Field officers of the parties should ensure that youths, women, SC, ST and disabled voters are not left out in the process. If there is any error in the list, it should be revised. Besides, booth rationalisation has to be carried out at the district level,” CEO Kumar said.
At the meeting all the parties were present; and no one has lodged any complaint, he added.
