PATNA: The Election Commission (EC) on Saturday said all activities related to special intensive revision (SIR) of the voters’ list were progressing as per schedule.
The EC’s contention came a day after RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav asked whether it was possible to develop the voters’ list for 8 crore people within 25 days. An EC statement said SIR has already started successfully in Bihar for verifying the eligibility of each elector with full participation of all political parties.
“Out of the existing 7,89,69,844 electors, 4.96 crore electors, whose names are already in the last intensive revision of electoral roll on January 1, 2003, have to simply verify so, fill the Enumeration Form and submit it,” the EC said. All divisional commissioners and district magistrates are engaging all the BLOs full time during the SIR. SMSs are also being sent to the 5,74,07,022 registered mobile numbers of Bihar. “All recognised national and state political parties who are registered with EC have also appointed 1,54,977 booth level agents (BLAs),” it said.
Printing and door-to-door distribution of new enumeration forms (EF) for all existing 7,89,69,844 electors have started in each of the 243 assembly constituencies. Online filling of the new EFs has been enabled, the EC said. Meanwhile, NDA slammed Tejashwi for his objection to the special intensive review of the voters’ list before Bihar assembly elections and his allegation that it was intended at erasing the names of poor and marginalised voters from the electoral rolls.
Union minister and Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) leader Jitan Ram Manjhi said bogus voters numbered between 25,000 and 30,000 in various constituencies.
“So, why should not names of such bogus voters be erased from the electoral roll? Why the opposition should be scared if they have not done anything wrong?” he asked. Bihar assembly elections are due in October-November.