Bihar SIR: Documents of over 99 pc electors received for voter list

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has received documents from 99.11 per cent of electors in Bihar, with seven days still remaining in the Claims, Objections and Documents period under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state. According to the ECI, this reflects an average daily collection rate of 1.64 per cent. With the deadline set for September 1, only 0.89 per cent of electors are yet to submit their documents. The Commission noted that the collection drive is being carried out with the help of Booth Level Officers (BLOs) and volunteers and is expected to be completed ahead of schedule, much like the earlier enumeration exercise.

In line with SIR orders dated June 24, verification of documents is being undertaken simultaneously by 243 Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and 2,976 Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs) across Bihar. Out of the 7.24 crore electors in the draft rolls, 0.16 per cent Claims and Objections have been received so far. These include 10 from Booth Level Agents (BLAs) of 12 recognised political parties in the state, none from non-electors of the Assembly constituencies, and 1,21,143 from electors within their respective constituencies, the Commission said.

The poll panel added that 3,28,847 new electors, who turned 18 years on or before July 1 or will attain the age by October 1, have submitted Form 6 along with the required declaration. The ECI confirmed that the SIR in Bihar is on track. All decisions on claims and objections, along with verification of eligibility documents, will be completed by the respective EROs and AEROs by September 25. The final electoral rolls will be published on September 30 after the completion of final checks.

Meanwhile, the Election Commission has addressed the long-felt need for constructive discussions with the National and State Political Parties across all levels in the past six months, by having several rounds of meetings with the representatives of all recognised Political Parties in a structured manner. Accordingly, four thousand 719 structured meetings with all political parties were conducted, comprising 40 meetings by CEOs, 800 by District Election Officers, and 3,879 by Electoral Roll Officers, engaging over 28 thousand representatives of various political parties. These meetings provide a platform for Party heads to share their suggestions and concerns directly with the Commission.