10 days to go, Bihar CEO launches online form for residents outside the state to get onboard SIR
Bihar CEO Vinod Singh Gunjiyal told The Indian Express in an interview earlier that the Election Commission was working on a hassle-free online system to address apprehensions of 'those living temporarily outside Bihar'.
On Tuesday, the Bihar CEO's office prominently advertised the process of online submission, through just scanning a QR code. 'If you have a mobile phone in hand, why worry about filling an enumeration form?' says the EC advertisement. It goes on to explain: 'After clicking the 'enumeration form online' on ECI site, one can log in using one's EPIC (voter ID) number or mobile phone, and the enumeration form will show. One can now fill in details such as one's name and date of birth.'
For signature, the advertisement says, the applicant can sign on a white sheet of paper or put a thumb impression, and upload it with the form. The EC said a confirmation SMS would be received on the applicant's phone.
About uploading a photo and documents, the CEO makes it clear that if one is unable to submit the same, Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) would take a final call, on the basis of documents which can be submitted between August 1 and August 30, or use other records such as names in government schemes or land documents.
All parties welcomed the EC initiative, with the RJD and Congress calling it 'belated'. RJD spokesperson Mrityunjay Tiwari said: 'The EC has been responding late to all our grievances. Retaining migrants in electoral rolls has always been a matter of big concern. Anyways, it is a welcome move.'
Bihar Congress spokesperson Asit Nath Tiwari said: 'We have been talking about it for a long while. Though it is a belated move, it is better late than never.'
Welcoming the EC move, JD(U) spokesperson Neeraj Kumar said the EC has been trying its best to complete the task.
LJP (Ram Vilas) Bihar in-charge and Jamui MP Arun Kumar Bharti said: 'Our only objective is to ensure that the poor, Dalits and those temporarily living out of Bihar are not dropped from the electoral rolls.'
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