Bihar electoral rolls: Nearly 30,000 voters seek inclusion
What's the story
Nearly 30,000 electors in Bihar, whose names were deleted during the draft stage of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, have sought inclusion in the final roll. The Election Commission's data shows that 29,872 out of 65 lakh deleted electors applied for inclusion before the September 1 deadline. Additionally, over 13 lakh new voters who turned 18 also submitted enrollment forms.
Enrollment process
Draft roll published on August 1
The Election Commission's SIR order, issued on June 24, mandated all registered electors in Bihar (7.89 crore) to fill out enumeration forms by July 25. The draft roll with 7.24 crore electors was published on August 1 based on these forms. The names of those deleted at the draft stage were marked as deceased, permanently shifted, untraceable, or registered at multiple places.
Dispute resolution
Claims and objections
The Election Commission has set aside time from August 1 to September 1 for claims and objections from those left out or wrongly included in the draft. As of Saturday morning, the EC had received 29,872 claims for inclusion and 1,97,764 objections for exclusion. A total of 33,771 claims and objections have been disposed of within seven days.
Enrollment verification
New electors' forms to be disposed of by September 25
The EC has also received 13,33,793 forms from new electors who turned 18. These forms will be disposed of by September 25. The final electoral roll will be published on September 30. Those registered after 2003 are required to submit documents proving their date and/or place of birth to establish eligibility as electors under the Citizenship Act, 1955. Additionally, for those born after July 1, 1987, proof of the elector's parents' date and/or place of birth is also required.
Ongoing litigation
Legal challenge to SIR order
The SIR order has been challenged in the Supreme Court through multiple petitions. The next hearing is scheduled for September 1. This legal challenge comes amid concerns over the new requirements for voter registration and citizenship verification, which deviate from previous practices that relied on self-declaration of citizenship without proof.