Draft Bihar poll roll not final list, clarifies Election Commision

The Election Commission on Sunday hit out at those who, it claimed, were creating an impression that the draft voters' list to be published in Bihar will be the final roll.

The poll authority said it is "not able to understand" that when a full one-month period from August 1 till September 1 is available to point out wrongful inclusion or wrongful exclusion of any name, "why are they creating such a big fuss now?"  The EC's statement came on the conclusion of the month-long phase one of Bihar's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voters' list, where house-to-house surveys were held to distribute semi-filled enumeration forms to the electorate that were to be returned after being filled up.

Enumeration forms from 7.24 crore electors have been received.

The EC also said that 36 lakh people were found to have either permanently shifted or were not found. It pointed out that seven lakh Bihar electors were found to have been enrolled at multiple places.

"Why not ask their 1.6 lakh booth-level agents to submit claims and objections from August 1 till September 1," the Commission quipped.

Booth-level agents appointed by political parties work with the EC's booth-level officers in preparing or updating the voters' list.

"Why are some persons trying to give an impression that the draft list is the final list, which it is not, as per special intensive revision orders," the EC statement said.

Various opposition parties in the state, which goes to the polls later this year, have claimed that crores of eligible citizens will be disenfranchised during the roll revision for want of documents.

They have also claimed that the ruling BJP will benefit as the state machinery in Bihar will target people opposed to the ruling alliance in the state. 

Stepping up its attack, the Congress on Sunday said the Election Commission should not have "institutional arrogance" and asked it to stop the SIR in Bihar.

At a joint press conference with CPI(ML) Liberation General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, RJD MP Manoj Jha and CPI(M) leader Nilotpal Basu, Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi said that the exercise being undertaken by the EC has become a "citizenship test" and questioned its legality.

"I humbly request the Election Commission, this is not a matter of political obstinacy. It is not a matter of institutional arrogance. Please reconsider it. Everyone is urging you," he said.

The BJP hit back at the INDIA bloc parties for their opposition to SIR, alleging they were trying to "rob" Indian democracy on the back of foreign infiltrators.

BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi said the Election Commission's drive is aimed at bringing required changes in electoral rolls through transparency.

He alleged that the INDIA bloc parties have been winning in places where the presence of infiltrators has brought maximum changes in demography.