Bihar voter list revision: EC ensures no names will be deleted from Bihar draft roll without due process

The Election Commission on Sunday asserted that no name can be deleted from the draft electoral roll of Bihar without following due process, including an order from the electoral registration officer (ERO). The EC underlined the due process involved in the exercise amid allegations by opposition parties that crores of eligible persons will lose their voting rights for want of documents due to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list in Bihar.

EC says no name will be deleted from the draft list

The poll panel said there will be no deletion from Draft Electoral Rolls without a “speaking order”. A speaking order is a self-explanatory order that details the reasons for reaching a particular conclusion. According to SIR guidelines, no name can be deleted from the draft list published on August 1 without notice and a speaking order of the Electoral Registration Officers/Assistant Electoral Registration Officer (ERO/AERO), it said. Any elector aggrieved by any decision of the ERO can appeal to the District Magistrate and the Chief Electoral Officer thereafter.

When EC said 66 lakh names may be excluded from the draft electoral roll

The EC earlier announced that the draft electoral roll might exclude 66 lakh names due to various reasons, including moving to other states or UTs, being non-existent, missing the July 25 deadline for enumeration forms, or not wanting to register. It also mentioned that of 66 lakh electors, 22 lakh are deceased, 36 lakh have permanently shifted or are untraceable, 7 lakh are enrolled at multiple places, and over 1 lakh didn't return their forms on time. 

The EC said out of 7.89 crore electors, over 7.24 crore have submitted their enumeration forms, indicating overwhelming participation. It said all SIR goals have been or will be met, ensuring no eligible electors are left behind, like temporary migrants, urban electors, or young electors; getting all electors and political parties involved. It will include assisting in the enumeration and scrutinising the draft roll. 

Meanwhile, the final voter list will be published in the state on September 30. Assembly polls are due in Bihar later this year. 

(With inputs from PTI)