ERO, DEO and the chief electoral officer: how the roles differ
प्रकाशित
Three offices are central to the electoral roll and election machinery: the chief electoral officer, the district election officer and the electoral registration officer. All three are created under the Representation of the People Act, 1950, and work under the Commission’s superintendence.
| Office | Level | Legal basis |
|---|---|---|
| Chief electoral officer (CEO) | State | Section 13A, RP Act 1950 |
| District election officer (DEO) | District, usually the district magistrate | Section 13AA |
| Electoral registration officer (ERO) | Assembly constituency, usually SDM level | Section 13B |
| Assistant ERO (AERO) | Assists the ERO | Section 13C |
Table: UP Election News. Basis: Representation of the People Act, 1950.
CEO and DEO
For each state the Commission, in consultation with the state government, designates an officer as chief electoral officer, who supervises roll preparation and the conduct of elections in the state. In Uttar Pradesh the office is in Lucknow.
For each district the Commission designates a district election officer, usually the district magistrate, who coordinates rolls and polling stations across the district. Uttar Pradesh has 75 districts.
The ERO’s job
The ERO is responsible for preparing and revising the roll for each assembly constituency. Final orders on forms for inclusion, deletion and correction come from the ERO. BLOs carry out verification under the ERO.
The ERO and the returning officer are different offices. The returning officer conducts the election under Section 21 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, receives nominations and declares the result. The ERO’s work is limited to the roll.
Complaints and appeals
A person aggrieved by an ERO order can appeal to the district election officer under Section 24. A further appeal from the DEO’s order lies with the chief electoral officer. Complaints about the roll move up that chain.
Key points
- Three offices are central to the electoral roll and election machinery: the chief electoral officer, the district election officer and the
- For each state the Commission, in consultation with the state government, designates an officer as chief electoral officer, who supervises
- The ERO is responsible for preparing and revising the roll for each assembly constituency.
- A person aggrieved by an ERO order can appeal to the district election officer under Section 24.
The 2024 Lok Sabha context
In the 2024 Lok Sabha election, Uttar Pradesh’s 80 seats were won as follows: Samajwadi Party 37, BJP 33, Congress 6, RLD 2, Azad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram) 1 and Apna Dal (S) 1. Lok Sabha and assembly elections turn on different issues and alliances, so the two results should not be added together to reach a conclusion.
The structure of the House
The Uttar Pradesh legislative assembly has 403 seats. Of these, 84 are reserved for Scheduled Castes and 2 for Scheduled Tribes. The majority mark is 202. The state sends 80 members to the Lok Sabha and 31 to the Rajya Sabha. The legislative council is a separate House whose members come through different electorates and nomination.
Official 2022 figures for context
For context, the 2022 assembly election had 15,12,46,168 electors and 9,21,62,897 votes polled, with statewide turnout of 60.94 percent. The BJP won 255 seats on 41.29 percent and the Samajwadi Party 111 seats on 32.06 percent. Apna Dal (S) won 12, the RLD 8, the SBSP and NISHAD Party 6 each, Congress and the Jansatta Dal Loktantrik 2 each, and the BSP 1.
Also read:
- Budaun district assembly results 2022
- Mathura district assembly results 2022
- Ghazipur district assembly results 2022
Source: Election Commission of India. Figures are from official statistical reports.
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