In Bihar Voter Roll Revision, 41 Lakh Now At Risk Of Exclusion

With just six days to go for submitting enumeration forms for the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, over 41 lakh voters now risk being excluded from the final list, up from 35.6 lakh earlier this week.

The Election Commission has said that after three rounds of home visits by Booth-Level Officers, over 41 lakh voters were not found at their registered addresses. Of these, 14.1 lakh voters have been confirmed dead, 19.7 lakh have permanently shifted to other places, 7.5 lakh are registered for voting at multiple locations, and 11,000 voters remain untraceable.

So far, the poll panel has collected 7.15 crore enumeration forms, covering 90.6% of the target, and 88.2% of these forms have been digitised. Around 32 lakh forms, or 4% of the total, are still pending collection.

The last date for submitting the forms is July 25 and the Commission has launched another round of door-to-door visits by Booth-Level Officers to establish contact with the remaining electors.

Earlier this week, the Election Commission (EC) had announced that 35.6 lakh voters were not found at their registered addresses and that it would share all the details with political parties to verify them before any name is struck off the rolls.

The opposition has been speaking out against the exercise and has claimed it is being done in a rushed manner to benefit the ruling alliance in Bihar by deleting voters that are against them. On Saturday, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav wrote letters to leaders of 35 major parties across the country seeking their support against the electoral roll revision and alleged that a conspiracy is being hatched, at the behest of the BJP, to attack democracy.

In the letter, which he sent to Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, among others, Mr Yadav said, "I am writing to you with deep anguish and urgency. The ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Bihar is a spectacle and a tragedy, disenfranchising large numbers of voters and shaking the very foundation of democracy."

"This is a clear indication of how an 'independent institution' like the Election Commission is bent on eroding public confidence in the integrity of our electoral process. Every citizen of this country, regardless of background or status, takes pride in their vote. The ability to participate in governance is immensely empowering," he added.

Foreign Citizens

During the special intensive revision process, Booth-Level Officers also identified foreign nationals, including individuals from Nepal, Myanmar, and Bangladesh, whose names were in the rolls. The EC said the names would be removed after document verification by Electoral Registration Officers.

Those affected have the right to appeal first to the district collector and then to the chief electoral officer, by submitting valid proof of citizenship and eligibility.