The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Monday said that 127 claims and objections out of 10,570 received directly from electors regarding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar have been disposed of by officials so far.
Even after 11 days since the publication of the draft electoral rolls, none of the political parties have filed any complaints, the poll panel added.
On a day when opposition leaders, including Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, were detained in Delhi during a protest against alleged manipulation of voter lists in some states, the ECI said that since August 1, as many as 54,432 new electors in Bihar — who turned 18 after the SIR exercise — have filed forms for inclusion in the voter list.
Opposition parties have criticised the SIR exercise in Bihar over alleged irregularities, claiming it threatens to deprive lakhs of voters of their right to vote — a charge denied by the ECI.
The poll panel published the draft electoral rolls on August 1 and has kept a one-month window for people, political parties, and their booth-level agents (BLAs) to raise complaints and grievances regarding inclusion or exclusion from the draft list.
The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) has 47,506 BLAs, Congress has 17,549, and the Left has over 2,000, totaling more than 67,000 agents.
The ECI has been regularly reaching out to political parties to participate in the revision exercise and report any instances of disenfranchisement.
“Submit your claims and objections to rectify any errors in the draft Electoral Roll of Bihar published on August 1. So far, not a single claim or objection has been submitted by any political party,” the ECI said in a statement.
The enumeration phase of the SIR was conducted from June 24 to July 25. Over 7.24 crore electors — out of a total of 7.89 crore — submitted their enumeration forms during the exercise.
After the process, about 65 lakh voters were found missing from the draft electoral rolls published on August 1. This included 22 lakh deceased electors (2.83 per cent), 36 lakh (4.59 per cent) who had permanently shifted or were not found, and seven lakh (0.89 per cent) who had enrolled at multiple locations, according to ECI data.
The ECI reiterated that the SIR aims to ensure full participation of all electors and political parties. No eligible elector in Bihar should be left behind, including temporary migrants, urban electors, and young voters. The process involves regular engagement with electors and political parties, assistance from election staff and volunteers, and redressal of issues raised during enumeration. The scrutiny of the draft roll continues from August 1 to September 1, and no deletion from the draft electoral rolls will be made without a speaking order.
Between June 23 and July 25, the number of BLAs increased substantially: Congress now has 17,549 BLAs (a 105 per cent increase), Rashtriya Janata Dal 47,506 (1 per cent increase), Janata Dal (United) 36,550 (31 per cent increase), and BJP 53,338 (3 per cent increase).
-IANS