The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Monday said it has received a total of 1,40,931 claims and objections by voters in Bihar against the draft electoral rolls brought out on August 1. To date, only one of the 12 political parties in the state has filed objections.
The Commission informed that citizens and political parties can continue to file claims and objections, along with supporting documents, till September 1.
Of the applications received from individual voters, 14,374 have already been processed by the Electoral Registration Officers (EROs), the ECI noted.
The Commission highlighted that the Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) Liberation [CPI(ML) Liberation] is currently the only political party to have raised objections, submitting 10 complaints related to the draft rolls. Despite repeated reminders, other parties have shown little involvement in the revision process.
Ever since the introduction of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) on August 1, 3,79,692 new eligible voters, who became 18 years old after the SIR commenced, have made application for inclusion. The ECI reiterated that a month-long window has been allowed for people, political parties, and the 1.6 lakh booth-level agents (BLAs) to point out any irregularities.
Figures provided by the Commission indicate that the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) has 47,506 BLAs, Congress has 17,549, and there are more than 2,000 with Left parties, making a total of over 67,000 lawmakers.
Under electoral regulations, objections and claims shall only be disposed of following a period of seven days' notice and checking the eligibility by the concerned ERO or AERO. No name from the draft rolls can be excluded without making a formal "speaking order" after an inquiry and providing the concerned elector a reasonable chance to place his case.
The ECI further stated that the list of names omitted from draft rolls, along with the grounds, has been published on District Election Officers (DEOs), District Magistrates (DMs), and the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) websites in a search-friendly format utilizing EPIC numbers. Affected individuals may file claims along with supporting documents, which may include Aadhaar.
Highlighting the significance of correct electoral rolls as the cornerstone of a robust democracy, the Commission reaffirmed that rolls for every polling station are compiled strictly in accordance with law.
Bihar SIR from June 24 is based on field-level authentication by Booth Level Officers (BLOs) and political party BLAs. Draft rolls were released on August 1 and distributed among all 12 recognized political parties in the state.
The Commission has called upon citizens who are eligible to vote but have been excluded from the rolls to file claims in Form 6 with Aadhaar by September 1. Objections can even be made against entries which are not eligible through Form 7. Even those who are not registered to vote in a constituency can file objections provided it is with a declaration or oath as is allowed under the regulations.
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