*BLO Pasting the certified voter’s identification sticker on his door in a Naxal-infested village in Jharkhand to ensure the voter list is error-free—all pics courtesy Election Commission.
The Election Commission of India has lauded Jharkhand as one of the three best-performing states for conducting incident-free Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in 2024.
This remarkable achievement can be attributed largely to the exceptional administrative leadership of K. Ravi Kumar, a 2004-batch IAS officer.
As the Chief Electoral Officer, he is credited with successfully organizing free, fair, and peaceful, back-to-back Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in 2025.
In recognition of his efforts, the Election Commission examined his works, acknowledged and awarded K. Ravi Kumar.
He received the prestigious award from President Droupadi Murmu on National Voters' Day, January 25, 2025.
Manoj Prasad, Chief Editor of JharkhandStateNews.com, deemed it fit to interact with him. Sri Prasad sought to understand how Jharkhand, a state associated with tribal communities, more often than not affected by scams, and poor governance, achieved this success and garnered national recognition under Kumar's leadership.
In response, Shri Kumar displayed humility and deflected praise for the accomplishment. He attributed the success to the Election Commission's well-defined guidelines, stating, "I followed the Election Commission's guidelines in letter and spirit."
*Checking Voters’ list and pasting certificate of identified and registered voters on their house’ door is K. Ravi Kumar, IAS, Chief Electoral Officer, Jharkhand.
When questioned about specific strategies, Shri Kumar revealed an innovative approach he had adopted to ensure free, fair and peaceful polls in Jharkhand.
Which is this. In brief, to prevent complaints of missing eligible voters from the list, he adopted a method similar to polio patient identification.
"I directed all Booth Level Workers to conduct a door-to-door campaign to identify eligible voters and mark their houses with a tick mark, mirroring an administrative measure used to identify and record polio patients. The Booth Level Workers executed this task effectively," he explained.
Furthermore, Shri Kumar emphasized the importance of well-trained Booth Level Officers. He ensured they received thorough training from qualified and experienced instructors.
Acknowledging his team's contribution, he highlighted that he fostered a team of skilled staff and officers. They toiled together ‘almost 18 hours a day’ for three months.
He concluded by stating, "This is a moment of pride for the entire state. We acknowledge everyone who contributed to ensuring fair elections. Teamwork was the key to our success”.
* Watch the interview on Youtube-