Page 9 - Election Commission

Bihar electoral roll: EC receives enumeration forms from 91.69% of voters

As the month-long first phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Bihar's electoral roll has concluded, the Election Commission (EC) said on Sunday that enumeration forms from 7.24 crore or 91.69 per cent voters of the state have been received. The poll panel also said 36 lakh people were found to have either permanently shifted from their previous addresses or were not found. It pointed out that seven lakh Bihar voters were found to have enrolled themselves at multiple places. The first phase of the SIR related to distributing and receiving back enumeration forms ended on Friday (July 25). The EC said booth-level officers did not find these electors or get back their enumeration forms because they have either become voters in other states or Union territories, or were not found in existence, or did not submit the forms till July 25. Another reason was that they were not willing to register themselves as voters for some reason or the other. The poll watchdog said the exact

Congress stages protest demanding SIR not be conducted in West Bengal

Congress workers on Sunday staged a protest here demanding that a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal not be conducted. An SIR is being conducted in neighbouring Bihar, where assembly elections are due later this year. Assembly polls are likely to be held in West Bengal in mid-2026. "The main issue is illegal immigration from Bangladesh," Congress leader Asutosh Chatterjee, who participated in the demonstration in south Kolkata's Bhawanipur area, said. He demanded that immediate steps be taken to fence every inch of the international border between India and Bangladesh in West Bengal. "Our national leadership has opposed the SIR of electoral rolls in Bihar, and we also oppose any plan to hold the same in West Bengal," he told reporters. The Congress workers raised slogans against the SIR. Chatterjee alleged that the Election Commission was working at the behest of the BJP. The Congress leader also questioned how Leader of Opposition in West Bengal

EC's refusal to accept Aadhaar as voter ID in Bihar is 'absurd': ADR

ADR criticised the Election Commission's refusal to accept Aadhaar as valid voter ID in Bihar's roll revision, calling the move "patently absurd" given Aadhaar's widespread use in official documents

EC will decide SIR of electoral rolls in Bengal: WB chief electoral officer

Stating that the decision to conduct a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls lies solely with the Election Commission, West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Agarwal on Friday said training of booth-level officers (BLOs) and supervisors will ensure preparedness if the process is initiated. He said training of the BLOs was an ongoing process, and a similar session would be held in Kolkata on Saturday and in the other districts in the following days. "The EC has decided to train the officers. Earlier, there was no such training. The poll panel has an institute, IIIDEM, where people have been trained to make them understand the work, their statutory functions," Agarwal said. According to sources, the CEO held a virtual conference with the BLOs on Friday. The IAS officer said the training would help if the SIR of electoral rolls was initiated in Bengal. "If SIR takes place, the training will equip BLOs to carry out their responsibilities effectively. However

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

EC begins V-P poll process, starts forming electoral college of MPs

The Election Commission on Wednesday said it has begun the process of holding the vice presidential election and has started constituting the electoral college comprising MPs of both Houses of Parliament. The poll panel said it is also finalising returning officers for the vice presidential election. "On completion of the preparatory activities, the announcement of the election schedule to the office of the Vice President of India will follow as soon as possible," the EC said. In a surprise move, Jagdeep Dhankhar stepped down as the vice president on Monday, citing health reasons. His term was to end on August 10, 2027.

Political parties deployed 150K booth agents for SIR in Bihar: ECI

The Election Commission of India has claimed all major political parties were "involved" in Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls and deployed over 1.5 lakh booth level agents to reach out to eligible voters but opposing the exercise in the Supreme Court. In an affidavit filed in a plea challenging the June 24 order directing pan-India SIR of electoral rolls starting from Bihar, the ECI claimed having plenary powers to take such measures as to protect and maintain the purity of elections, including preparation of electoral rolls. It is with this objective that the ECI has directed the conduct of pan-India SIR, beginning with Bihar, the ECI argued. The poll panel said some of the petitioners before the apex court were MPs and MLAs from Bihar's recognised political parties who were assisting in the SIR exercise by providing BLAs. "While, some of the petitioners are participating in the SIR and, at the same time, objecting here to the transparent exercise conducted by the ECI.

Bihar SIR: Over 5.2 mn voters not found at addresses; 1.8 mn found dead

During house-to-house visit in the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral roll in Bihar, poll officials have so far found that more than 52 lakh voters were not present at their addresses and another 18 lakh have died. The Election Commission said on Tuesday that 26 lakh electors have shifted to different constituencies, while another seven lakh have enrolled at two places. Poll officials in the state have shared detailed lists of the 21.36 lakh electors whose enumeration forms have not been received so far and also of the nearly 52.30 lakh who are reportedly deceased or permanently shifted or have enrolled at multiple places. From August 1 -- when draft electoral rolls will be published -- to September 1, a full one-month will be available to any member of the public to file objections to any additions, deletions and rectification in the draft poll rolls. Functionaries said the 12 political parties which have been given a list of electors who have shifted, not foun

A riddle in Election Commission's roll revision in Bihar: 'Missing' voters

As the SIR drive nears its end and a fresh electoral roll is set to be published, questions remain over the fate of millions of voters

To SIR, with reservations: The TDP-BJP test in the monsoon session

Now, with an alliance with the BJP that has yielded two Union ministerships, the TDP is treading softly but assertively

576,000 Bihar electors enrolled at multiple places, 1.2 mn dead: ECI data

According to the EC data, enumeration forms of over 86.32 per cent electors have been collected so far

TDP urges EC for more time, easy inclusion in voter roll revision

The TDP urged the Election Commission (EC) on Tuesday to give adequate time to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in Andhra Pradesh, saying it should not be held within six months of a major poll and the voters already enrolled in the latest roll be not required to reestablish their identity. The suggestions offered by the BJP ally to the poll watchdog come amid a political row over the ongoing SIR in Bihar as its implementation close to the Assembly polls in the eastern state and the burden of proof on prospective voters in many cases have drawn criticism from opposition parties. "The SIR's purpose must be clearly defined and limited to electoral-roll correction and inclusion. It should be explicitly communicated that the exercise is not related to citizenship verification, and any field instructions must reflect this distinction," a Telugu Desam Party (TDP) delegation told the EC. Batting for the "presumption of inclusion", it said the voters who are alrea

83.66% of 78.9 mn Bihar electors to be included in draft electoral roll: EC

The names of over 6.60 crore out of the total 7.89 crore electors of Bihar will be included in the draft electoral roll, the Election Commission (EC) said on Monday amid the ongoing special intensive revision (SIR) of the voters' list. The poll authority said with 11 more days left for the last date of submission of the filled enumeration forms (EFs) in the ongoing Bihar SIR, EFs of 6,60,67,208 or 83.66 per cent of the 7,89,69,844 electors in Bihar have been collected after two rounds of door-to-door visits by booth-level officers (BLOs). So far 1.59 per cent of electors have been found deceased, 2.2 per cent permanently shifted and 0.73 per cent were found to be enrolled at more than one place. "Therefore, 88.18 per cent of electors have either already submitted their EF or died or retained their names at one place or permanently shifted out of their previous place of residence. Only 11.82 per cent of electors now remain to submit their filled EFs and many of them have sought time

SC to hear multiple pleas against EC's Bihar voter list revision on July 10

The Supreme Court will hear multiple petitions on July 10 challenging the Election Commission's special voter list revision in Bihar ahead of elections, citing concerns over fairness and feasibility

Protests in Bihar against special intensive revision of electoral rolls

Protests erupted across Bihar on Wednesday against the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, as part of which top leaders of the opposition Mahagathbandhan, including Rahul Gandhi, converged in the state capital. The INDIA bloc, of which the Mahgathbandhan is a part, is supporting the nationwide 'chakka jam' called in protest against the four labour codes, but in Bihar the opposition coalition has chosen to also highlight its reservations against the SIR, which allegedly threatens to "disenfranchise a substantial number of voters", barely a few months ahead of the assembly polls, to "benefit" the ruling NDA. Gandhi was joined by RJD's Tejashwi Yadav besides D Raja, MA Baby and Dipankar Bhattacharya, general secretaries of CPI, CPI(M) and CPI(ML) respectively, in a giant procession that commenced at the Income Tax crossing, around a hundred metres from vital installations such as the Patna High Court, besides offices of many political parties. The leaders stood atop an

Electoral roll revision: Owaisi says livelihood, not just vote at stake

Calling the process rushed and impractical, Owaisi said even a 15-20 per cent error rate could have devastating consequences for marginalised communities

EC should take cognisance of violent incidents in Bihar: Mayawati

BSP chief Mayawati on Monday said the Election Commission should take cognisance of incidents of violence in Bihar, including the murder of Patna-based businessman Gopal Khemka, for the conduct of peaceful elections in the state. In a post on X, she spoke about the "deteriorating" law and order situation in Bihar ahead of the assembly polls laster this year. "The recent sensational murder of Gopal Khemka, a prominent industrialist and leader of the ruling party BJP, in Patna, has heated up the politics of the state in a new way," the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said. "If the Election Commission takes cognisance of this bloodshed and appropriate action right now, it will be better for conducting peaceful elections," she said. Khemka was shot dead by an unidentified armed assailant outside his house in Gandhi Maidan locality of Patna on Friday as he was about to alight from his car. His mortal remains were consigned to flames at Gulbi Ghat in Patna on Sunday. A large number

Bihar electoral list row: Opposition cries foul, CEC says process fair

CEC Gyanesh Kumar says over 100,000 officers deployed for Bihar's voter list revision, last done in 2003; voters can submit documents till July 25 and during Claims & Objections phase

EC's voter verification drive stirs political pot ahead of Bihar polls

While the poll body insists its drive will ensure integrity of electoral rolls, the Opposition alleges it will disenfranchise millions from marginalised sections. Archis Mohan explains

Voter roll updates before polls are legal requirement: CEC Gyanesh Kumar

CEC Gyanesh Kumar has said voter list updates are legally required before elections, amid opposition concerns over the Special Intensive Revision exercise in Bihar