Pure rolls key to democracy, says CEC as Bihar revision hits 47%
Election Commission
(EC) claimed that it had reached the halfway mark in collecting enumeration forms in Bihar during the ongoing special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
"Pure electoral rolls are inevitable for strengthening democracy," the CEC told reporters in Delhi, amid the revision drive underway in the poll-bound state.
According to the EC, the SIR is progressing rapidly, with 3,70,77,077 enumeration forms collected by the end of Tuesday, amounting to 46.95% of the total 7,89,69,844 electors in Bihar,just 14 days into the exercise launched last month.
"In the first two weeks of the exercise, 7.90 crore forms were printed and over 97% of forms were distributed to the electors," the EC said.
It added that 82,78,617 forms were collected in the past 24 hours alone, accounting for 10.5% of the total.
The collection effort has been bolstered by the addition of 20,603 booth level officers (BLOs) to the 77,895 already working on the ground. These BLOs are conducting door-to-door visits to help electors fill out and submit their forms. The EC also stated that approximately four lakh volunteers, including govt officials, NCC cadets and NSS members, are working across the state to support the elderly, persons with disabilities, the sick and other vulnerable groups in completing the process.
The commission also reiterated on Tuesday that the SIR guidelines issued on June 24 stand firmly on four key pillars. First, the exercise is "all-inclusive" with enumeration forms distributed to all 7.89 crore electors in Bihar. Second, every elector who submits a form will be included in the draft electoral roll, to be published on Aug 1. Third, the eligibility of an elector is determined in accordance with Article 326 of the Constitution.
And fourth, any exclusion will only be made after an inquiry and will require a reasoned or "speaking" order by the electoral registration officer (ERO), which can be appealed.
"Any person aggrieved by the decision of the ERO may prefer an appeal to the district magistrate and a second appeal can be preferred before the chief electoral officer against the order of the DM, in accordance with Section 24 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950," the EC said.
The poll body expressed confidence that, given the current momentum, the revision exercise will be completed well before the deadline.
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