Hathras Begins 2027 Assembly Election Preparations, Officials Told to Inspect Polling Areas

Preparations for the 2027 Assembly General Election have begun in Hathras, with the district administration directing sector and zonal magistrates to visit their assigned areas and assess the ground situation. The officials have been asked to pay special attention to polling centre arrangements, the voter list, law and order, and the identification of sensitive and critical booths.

Hathras, October 31, 2026. The district administration has started preparations to conduct the upcoming Assembly General Election-2027 in a free, fair, transparent and peaceful manner. A meeting of the designated sector and zonal magistrates from the administration and police departments was held at the auditorium in the Police Lines on Saturday under the chairmanship of District Election Officer Saty Prakash Patel.

During the meeting, officials were instructed to visit their respective areas and assess the condition of polling centres, the status of the voter list, law and order and sensitive locations. Saty Prakash Patel said the meeting marked the beginning of preparations for the Assembly Election-2027.

He said sector magistrates and sector police officers would have an important role in ensuring the successful completion of the election process. He placed special emphasis on four key areas of election preparations: the physical condition of polling centres, scrutiny of the voter list, election management and effective management of law and order.

The District Election Officer directed all sector magistrates to carry out physical verification of polling centres in their allotted areas. They have been asked to examine all essential facilities, including the roads and routes leading to the polling centres, bridges, buildings, electricity, drinking water, toilets, ramps, doors and windows.

Any shortcoming found during the inspection must be identified and action must be taken to get it removed in time, officials were told. The instructions cover the condition and accessibility of the polling centres as well as the availability of basic facilities required at these locations.

Saty Prakash Patel also stressed the need to make the voter list error-free. Officials were directed to make effective efforts to include the names of young people who have completed 18 years of age, women and other eligible citizens in the voter list. At the same time, errors in the list must be identified and corrected according to the rules.

Under the Special Summary Revision campaign, officials were asked to monitor the process of adding the names of eligible voters and taking action according to the rules for the removal or resolution of ineligible entries. This monitoring will be carried out during the presence of Booth Level Officers, or BLOs, at the booths on 21, 22, 27 and 28 November, according to the scheduled programme.

The officials were also instructed to take effective steps to improve the EP ratio and the gender ratio. The directions were issued as part of the wider exercise to strengthen the voter list and election-related arrangements before the Assembly Election-2027.

The District Election Officer asked sector magistrates and sector police officers to assess incidents reported during previous elections. The assessment will cover disputes, polling boycotts, the use of money power and muscle power, the distribution of illegal liquor, and incidents in which voters were threatened or offered inducements.

The officials were told to review polling centres that had earlier been marked as sensitive or critical. They must also identify new sensitive locations on the basis of the current situation. The administration has directed them to look at local conditions rather than rely only on earlier assessments.

Persons who may create fear among voters and families that may be affected must be identified, the District Election Officer said. Necessary preventive action should then be proposed against them according to the rules.

Zonal magistrates were instructed to hold regular physical and online meetings with the sector magistrates working under them and review the progress of preparations. In villages, officials have been asked to use the support of lekhpals, village development officers, gram panchayat officers, ASHA workers, ANMs, and employees of the agriculture and animal husbandry departments to collect accurate election-related information.

Superintendent of Police Chiranjeev Nath Sinha said sector magistrates and sector police officers must not discharge their responsibilities merely as a formality. Instead, they must visit the field, establish communication with local residents and assess the actual situation.

The SP directed the officials to verify, in accordance with current circumstances, the data connected with the 2022 Assembly Election and the 2024 Lok Sabha Election. The purpose of the verification is to ensure that earlier election-related information is assessed against the conditions prevailing at present.

Chiranjeev Nath Sinha said that under vulnerability mapping, officials must first identify voters who may be afraid because of the influence of a person or group. After that, the persons creating fear and the reasons behind the fear must be identified. Effective action must be ensured against the concerned people according to the rules.

The SP also stressed coordination with employees working at the local level, including village watchmen, beat constables, ration shop dealers, ASHA workers and ANMs, to obtain correct information. He said the administration and the police would have to work in coordination to ensure that the election process is conducted in a fear-free environment.

During the meeting, the Deputy District Election Officer and Additional District Magistrate (Finance and Revenue), along with the Additional Superintendent of Police, briefed the sector and zonal magistrates in detail about the duties, working procedures and responsibilities of administrative and police officers during the election.

The Chief Development Officer, Divisional Forest Officer, District Development Officer, Additional District Magistrate (Judicial), all Sub-Divisional Magistrates, all Circle Officers of Police, and the designated sector and zonal magistrates were present at the meeting.