Patna: Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar on Sunday strongly defended the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) decision to conduct the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list before the upcoming Bihar assembly elections, calling the suggestion to hold the revision after the polls “unjustified.”
Addressing a press conference in Patna following a two-day review visit to the state, CEC Kumar asserted that conducting the SIR is not only legal but also mandated under the provisions of the Representation of the People Act. “If you go by the Representation of the People Act, it is legal for the Election Commission to conduct the revision before every election and is required to do so under the law. For someone to say that the revision should be conducted after the elections is unjustified,” Kumar stated.
The CEC informed that the revision has resulted in the deletion of 3.66 lakh names of ineligible voters, following approximately 65 lakh names that were deleted earlier. He stressed that absolute transparency is being maintained and urged voters and political parties to file any remaining objections.
“If anyone has a complaint regarding the addition or deletion of voters’ names through ‘SIR’, they can appeal to the District Magistrate (DM),” the CEC clarified. He also noted that the list has been provided to the District Presidents of every political party at the District Collector level.
Kumar reassured the public that there is still time for claims and objections to be filed. “There is still time until ten days before the last date of nomination. If any person or any political party has any concerns that any eligible voter has been left out or that the name of an ineligible voter is on the voter list, they can file their claims and objections. The claims and objections received will be resolved at the ERO level,” he added, noting that the list is frozen only after the nomination process is complete.
Focus on Transparency and New Initiatives
The CEC emphasized the critical role of “mock polls” in ensuring absolute transparency in the polling process. He urged all candidates contesting the Bihar elections to nominate polling agents who must arrive before voting begins to witness the mock poll and then collect their Form 17C from the presiding officer after voting is complete.
Kumar also highlighted a significant level of political party engagement in Bihar, noting that over 160,000 Booth Level Agents (BLAs) have been nominated by various political parties across the state. These agents are present when the Booth Level Officer takes any person’s enumeration form to file claims and objections. He also addressed a common issue, stating that voters without assigned house numbers who may write a nearby house number or ‘zero’ need not worry, as the process is monitored by BLAs.
Furthermore, the CEC announced the successful implementation of 17 new initiatives aimed at enhancing the electoral process in Bihar, with some to be utilized during the conduct of elections and others during counting. He credited the 243 Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and 90,207 Booth Level Officers (BLOs) for completing the task of “cleansing the voter list after nearly 22 years.”
Regarding the decision on conducting the Bihar election in phases, the CEC stated that the poll body “would soon decide on this matter” after hearing the views of the political parties, acknowledging the “pros and cons” of each viewpoint.
Finally, Kumar appealed to all voters to ensure full participation in the polls, treating voting as a festival of democracy, much like the enthusiasm shown during Chhath.