Draft Bihar poll roll not final list: EC questions narrative, flags duplicates, deceased, and shifted voters

Election Commission of India

The Election Commission on Sunday hit out at those who, it claimed, were creating an impression that the draft voters’ list to be published in Bihar will be the final roll.

The Election Commission of India (ECI ) said that out of 7.89 crore registered voters in Bihar, over 7.24 crore electors have submitted their enumeration forms under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) held from June 24 to July 25, reflecting a 91.69 per cent participation rate.

The Commission described the SIR as a "massive and successful citizen participation effort" across the state, aimed at enhancing the accuracy of the electoral rolls ahead of upcoming assembly elections.

According to the official press note released by the ECI,the enumeration exercise was launched to verify and update voter records across all 38 districts of Bihar. The ECI said, "The first aim of SIR was participation of all electors and all political parties," adding that the role of Booth Level Officers (BLOs), Booth Level Agents (BLAs), volunteers, and political party workers contributed significantly to the process.

Booth-level agents appointed by political parties work with the EC’s booth-level officers in preparing or updating the voters’ list. ”Why are some persons trying to give an impression that the draft list is the final list, which it is not, as per special intensive revision orders,” the EC statement said. Various opposition parties in the state, which goes to the polls later this year, have claimed that crores of eligible citizens will be disenfranchised during the roll revision for want of documents.

According to the ECI, the number of Booth Level Agents rose by over 16 per cent, with major increases seen in the CPI(M) (1083%), Congress (105%), and CPI(ML) (542%). The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) saw a 3 per cent increase, while RJD and JD(U) reported modest increases in their BLA counts.

Booth Level Officers (BLOs) visited each registered elector's residence, distributing and collecting forms in at least three rounds. Additional efforts targeted urban voters, young first-time voters, and temporary migrants from Bihar.

To reach migrants, a full-page Hindi advertisement was issued in 246 newspapers, and the CEO of Bihar wrote to all States and UTs, asking them to assist migrants from Bihar in completing their enumeration forms. The ECI revealed that nearly 29 lakh forms were filled online or downloaded, with over 16 lakh submissions made digitally.

*With Agency Inputs