- Revision of voter lists must occur before elections, not after, said Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar
- Bihar Assembly election will conclude before the current Assembly's term ends on November 22, he said
- Voter count per polling station is capped at 1,200 and phones are banned inside, the poll body chief said
Revision of voter lists is required before every election, and a review after the polls won't be in accordance with the law, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar said today, countering the Opposition's offensive on the Special Intensive Revision in poll-bound Bihar.
The poll body chief, who was in Patna for a two-day visit to oversee preparations for the upcoming election, spoke to the media this afternoon before leaving for Delhi.
Starting his address in Bhojpuri, Kumar said the Special Intensive Revision in Bihar led to the purification of the state's voter list after 22 years.
"We congratulate the voters of India. Thank you to everyone for the successful SIR process. I appeal to all the voters of Bihar to celebrate this festival of democracy with the same enthusiasm as you celebrate Chhath. Everyone should vote and ensure their participation," he said.
The Chief Election Commissioner said the Assembly election for 243 seats in Bihar will be completed before November 22, when the current Assembly's term ends.
He said the number of voters allotted to each polling station has been capped at 1,200 and added that no voter will be allowed to take their phones into the poll booth.
The poll body chief announced one change in the voting process. "The ballot papers on EVMs are black and white, but identification is difficult. Therefore, starting in the Bihar elections, the serial number font and candidate photos will now be in colour," he said.
NDTV asked the Chief Election Commissioner about the ongoing burqa row after the state BJP chief Dilip Jaiswal demanded that poll officials verify burqa-clad women at voting booths. The poll body chief replied that the polling and identification of voters will be conducted as per time-tested rules.
The Chief Election Commissioner also responded to questions on Aadhaar and stressed that while the poll body accepted Aadhaar during the voter revision exercise following a Supreme Court order, the document is not proof of citizenship. "The Aadhaar Act is not proof of citizenship; it is merely proof of identity," he said, citing the Aadhaar Act.
