In Bihar, as the state assembly elections approach, political activity is intensifying. Meanwhile, on Friday, the Election Commission will publish the draft of voter lists prepared under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR).
Opposition parties and other organizations are concerned that this process could lead to large-scale voter deletions from the list across regions of Bihar. These apprehensions prompted opposition and social groups to appeal to the Supreme Court over alleged "mass deletion of names."
Along with this draft, the process for "claims and objections" will begin, running until September 1st. During this period, if a voter's name has been unjustly removed, they can file a complaint with the relevant authorities and claim to have their name reinstated.
The Election Commission states there were 79.3 million registered voters until the SIR order was issued in the state. However, post-order, many political entities expressed fierce opposition. During the SIR process, 72.3 million filled out forms, but 3.5 million individuals were found to be permanently migrated or missing. Additionally, 2.2 million were declared deceased, and 0.7 million appeared in dual voter lists. Approximately 120,000 individuals did not submit forms at all.
Tejashwi Yadav, the Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly, has strongly criticized this. He has even threatened an election boycott if the Election Commission does not take his concerns seriously.
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In the first phase of SIR, voters were given "enumeration forms" by Booth Level Officers (BLO) or agents designated by political parties. These forms had to be returned with acceptable proof of identity and signatures. People also had the option to download and submit these forms online.
Critics argue that this process is allegedly designed to favor the ruling NDA in the upcoming elections. The opposition approached the Supreme Court, which asserted earlier this week that the outcome of SIR must be "mass inclusion, not mass exclusion." The court also instructed Adhaar cards to be accepted as ID proof. The apex court clarified it would intervene if there are large-scale unjust deletions of names.
Meanwhile, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar released a message aiming to alleviate fears among "dear voters of Bihar." He emphasized that from August 1st to September 1st, any voter or political party can apply to add, remove, or revise names in the voter list. Claims and objections can be filed to correct any ineligible voter entries or inaccuracies in the draft voter list.
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Prior to this, CPI(ML) leader Dipankar Bhattacharya, who is also a petitioner in SC on this matter, claimed the real challenge will surface during "Claims and Objections," where attempts for mismanagement may occur through government-backed EROs and AEROs.
