The Election Commission has said that it received the counting form of 90.12% voters of Bihar for its special intensive amendment (SIR) of the state’s electoral rolls, and that more than 36 lakhs were found “at their address”.
The EC ordered Sir on 24 June and launched it the next day. The Commission said in this order that it has decided to practice for the whole country and was starting with Bihar as the assembly elections are going to be held in the state. The EC order said that all 7.8 crore registered voters of Bihar will have to submit the calculation form by July 25 to make a draft role to be published on 1 August.
On Friday, the EC said that 7.11 crore forms were received so far and 6.85 crore of them were digital. The EC also stated that 36.86 lakh voters (a little more than 4.67% of the total voters) were found to be “perhaps” permanent, permanently transferred or enrolled in many places. It said that 6,978, or 0.01% of the voters, were “not traced”.
The commission stated that the list of “perhaps” deceased, transferred and unattainable voters was shared with district presidents of political parties and their booth level agents, “to find out the exact position of each such electoral before 25 July”. Voters and parties would have made claims and objections on the draft rolls from 1 August to 1 September. Election registration officers will be held by 25 September by 25 September to settle these claims and objections before the final election roll is published on 30 September.
The EC said, “According to the Sir order, each of the more than 1.5 lakh blass (booth level agents) can present them up to 50 forms a day after certifying them. The step is to conform to the ECI’s commitment that no character is left out,” the EC said.
Several booth level officials (BLOS) told The Indian Express that they were working to complete the Sir Exercise “two-three days before the July 25 deadline.
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