Over 100K Bihar voters can't be traced in electoral roll verification: EC

Over 100,000 voters in Bihar were found to be untraceable during the ongoing revision of electoral rolls, with millions found dead or relocated, according to the Election Commission of India (ECI).

 

The ECI on Wednesday said that around 100,000 voters could not be located during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in Bihar, according to a report by the Press Trust of India (PTI).

 

The ECI stated that it had received and digitised enumeration forms from 71.7 million people. However, it also flagged concerns about missing and invalid entries in the voters’ list.

Millions found dead

According to the ECI, about 2 million voters have been marked as “deceased”, while another 2.8 million have permanently shifted from their registered addresses.

 

Poll officials also said they had not received forms from around 1.5 million voters. “During house-to-house visits, more than 5.2 million voters were not found at their addresses. Another 1.8 million have died,” officials told PTI.

Multiple enrolments and relocations

On Tuesday, the ECI said that 2.6 million voters had shifted to other constituencies and that around 700,000 people were enrolled in more than one place. 

 

Election officials have shared detailed lists of the 2.1 million voters whose forms are still missing and another 5.2 million who are either deceased, relocated, or registered in multiple places.

Draft roll to be published next month

The first phase of the SIR will conclude with the release of the draft electoral roll on August 1.

 

From August 1 to September 1, voters and political parties will have the opportunity to submit objections to inaccuracies in the draft list. Objections may be raised if an eligible person is excluded or if an ineligible name is included in the draft roll.

 

Officials told PTI that 12 political parties have been given lists of voters who have died, shifted, or cannot be traced. These parties have been informed of the reasons why certain names will be missing from the draft roll.

 

They added that political parties have been asked to help reconnect with such voters so they may contact local poll officers to have their names included.

Final list by end of September

After reviewing all claims and objections, the final electoral roll will be published on September 30. The ECI has said that the aim is to ensure “no eligible citizen is excluded and no ineligible one is included”.

 

Earlier this week, the ECI informed the Supreme Court that it has the legal authority to seek proof of citizenship during the SIR. This was in response to petitions alleging that the poll panel is overstepping its powers by demanding citizenship documents from voters.