New initiatives for Bihar Assembly polls to be replicated nationwide: CEC

Claiming that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) "purified" Bihar's voters' list after 22 years, CEC Gyanesh Kumar on Sunday said many new initiatives were being undertaken for the upcoming assembly elections in the state, and these would be replicated across the country in due course.

Addressing a press conference in Patna before winding up his tour of the state, Kumar said these initiatives include a new SOP (standard operating procedure) to ensure that EPIC cards are delivered to voters within 15 days of registration and a mobile deposit facility at polling booths.

He said the elections to the 243-member assembly will be completed before the expiry of its term on November 22.

"We have an ERO (Electoral Registration Officer) in each of the 243 constituencies. They were assisted by 90,207 BLOs in completing the SIR exercise, which has purified the voters' list after 22 years," he said. 

The last time an intensive revision of electoral rolls had taken place in the state was in 2003.

The CEC, who was accompanied by Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sindhu and Vivek Joshi, held discussions with political parties and reviewed poll preparedness with officials during his two-day visit.