The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Friday announced that with just ten days left for the claims and objections window to close, Bihar has so far received 84,305 applications from voters seeking inclusion or deletion of names in the draft electoral rolls published on August 1. Interestingly, while individual voters have shown active participation, political parties have not engaged with the process in any significant manner. Only the CPI(ML) Liberation has filed objections, submitting two complaints on the draft rolls, while other parties, despite having deputed thousands of booth-level agents (BLAs), have not flagged a single error. Of the total applications received, 6,092 have already been disposed of by the Electoral Registration Officers (EROs), the Commission said.
The poll body further highlighted that since August 1, as many as 2,63,257 new electors, who turned 18 after the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), have applied for inclusion in the electoral rolls. This reflects the strong enthusiasm among first-time voters, even as established political parties appear reluctant to engage in the scrutiny of the draft rolls. The ECI pointed out that nearly 1.6 lakh BLAs of recognised political parties were given the opportunity to assist in the revision exercise. Out of these, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) deputed 47,506 BLAs, the Congress 17,549, and the Left parties more than 2,000, together accounting for more than 67,000 representatives. However, the absence of claims or objections from these parties has raised questions about their seriousness in safeguarding the accuracy of the electoral process.
Reiterating the importance of public participation, the ECI urged eligible citizens to verify their names in the draft rolls and submit claims or objections before the September 1 deadline. It clarified that any eligible voter left out can file Form 6 with Aadhaar, while objections regarding ineligible names can be raised through Form 7 by any elector of the concerned Assembly constituency. Recognised parties’ BLAs may also file Forms 6 and 7 on behalf of voters. The Commission added that even non-electors of a constituency are allowed to raise objections, provided they submit a declaration under Rule 20(3)(b) of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960. Emphasising transparency, the ECI assured that the rolls are prepared strictly in accordance with law and appealed once again to both voters and political parties to take the revision process seriously before it concludes.
