Election Commission Eases Rules On Bihar Voter List Revision Amid Uproar: ‘Can Submit Papers Later'
Following backlash and concerns regarding the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) electoral rolls in Bihar ahead of the assembly polls, the state's poll body on Sunday eased the rules where the people now can submit the filled-out electoral forms without the requisite documents if they do not possess them.
In an advertisement carried in newspapers in Hindi, the office of the Bihar Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) has now asked voters to submit forms without the required documents, which can be submitted later.
'Fill and submit your enumeration forms with documents and your photograph to BLOs as early as possible. If you do not have requisite documents, send the filled-out, signed forms to the BLOs," the advertisement said.
'If you provide the required documents, it will help the Electoral Registration Officer to process your application more easily. If you are unable to submit the required documents, the Electoral Registration Officer may take a decision based on a local inquiry or verification of other supporting documents," the advertisement further read.
The state's poll body has further directed the Booth-Level Officers (BLOs) to upload all the filled-out, signed forms, while the documents can be submitted later.
The decision came after the opposition parties objected to the ongoing intensive revision of the electoral rolls ahead of the assembly polls and claimed that
A delegation comprising representatives from 11 opposition parties collectively met the Election Commission on Wednesday to lodge a strong objection against the ongoing intensive revision of the electoral rolls in Bihar.
Votebandi," a term evoking parallels with demonetisation (' Notebandi ') and implying a deliberate disenfranchisement of voters. They firmly asserted that this revision process, as currently conducted, poses a direct threat to democracy in Bihar.
On Saturday, former Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi asked the people to 'refuse" to show any documents to the officials.
TMC MP Mahua Moitra and Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), a key NGO focused on electoral reforms, filed petitions in the Supreme Court against the poll body's move.
Filed by Advocate Prashant Bhushan on Friday, ADR labeled the ECI's directive 'unconstitutional", cautioning that it might disenfranchise millions of voters and disrupt the free and fair elections, a fundamental part of the Constitution.
According to the poll body, it is part of its crackdown on illegal immigrants from countries like Nepal, Bangladesh, and Myanmar.
The poll panel reminded the constitutional provision that says only Indian citizens can vote. 'The Constitution of India is supreme. All citizens, political parties, and the Election Commission of India follow the Constitution," EC said in a statement.The poll panel already has nearly 78,000 booth-level officers (BLOs) and is appointing over 20,000 more for new polling stations, it said.
First Published:
July 06, 2025, 16:03 IST
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