Pioneer News Service
Ranchi
Chief Electoral Officer K. Ravi Kumar has directed all District Election Officers to accelerate the process of adding new eligible voters to the electoral roll. Registration is being ensured through Form-6 and a self-declaration form, with applications being accepted via both online and offline modes.
October 1, 2026, has been fixed as the qualifying date. Youth completing 18 years of age by this date will be registered. Form-6 submissions are open until the deadline of September 15. Applications are exceedingly low at several polling stations across the state, with zero Form-6 applications received at a total of 6,722 polling stations. Directions have been issued to conduct a special review of these centers.
In Ranchi, no Form-6 applications were received at 1,209 polling stations. Palamu reported zero applications at 592 stations, Hazaribagh at 572, Giridih at 416, and Dhanbad at 392 polling stations.
Additionally, 1,243 such low-performance polling stations were identified in Dhanbad, 1,072 in Giridih, 981 in Ranchi, 936 in Palamu, and 814 in Hazaribagh.
Expressing concern over the situation, the Chief Electoral Officer ordered special reviews in the concerned districts. Booth Level Officers (BLOs) will conduct door-to-door visits to gather information on new voters to ensure no eligible youth is left unregistered.
Furthermore, directives were issued to run awareness campaigns in schools and colleges to encourage youth to apply via ECINET, alongside ensuring the timely digitization of all received Form-6 applications.
