As the first phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Bihar's electoral roll concluded on Friday, the Election Commission (EC) reported that approximately 35 lakh voters have either permanently migrated or were untraceable since the exercise began on June 24.
Bihar, which is scheduled to go to the polls later this year, has a total electorate of around 7.90 crore.
Additionally, booth-level officers (BLOs) and booth-level agents (BLAs) representing political parties identified the names of nearly 22 lakh deceased voters. Furthermore, around seven lakh electors were found to be registered at multiple locations.
98.8 per cent voters have been covered
The EC also noted that enumeration forms from approximately 1.2 lakh voters were still pending submission. Despite this, the poll body stated that 99.8 per cent of voters have been covered, with forms from 7.23 crore electors already received and digitised.
These verified names will be included in the draft electoral roll, which is set to be published on August 1. The remaining forms and BLO reports are expected to be fully processed by the same date.
On July 20, the EC shared lists of electors who have migrated, passed away, or failed to submit forms with all 12 recognised political parties, enabling them to verify the data and help ensure the accuracy of the draft roll.
Final electoral roll to be published on September 30
As per the SIR guidelines, from August 1 to September 1, electors and political parties may submit claims and objections using the prescribed forms. This allows for the addition of eligible voters who may have been missed or the removal of ineligible names from the roll.
The parties have been urged to reach out to such voters, enabling them to approach the election authorities in Bihar to seek inclusion of their names in the draft roll, if eligible.
Following the completion of the claims and objections process, the final electoral roll is scheduled to be published on September 30, ensuring that all eligible citizens are included and ineligible entries are removed.
