Electoral roll revision: EC eases rules for Bihar voters; 'required documents can be submitted later'

Time of India

a day ago

NEW DELHI: Days after the opposition dubbed EC's special intensive revision of electoral rolls as "votebandi," the poll body on Sunday eased the rules of the ongoing exercise for Bihar voters.
In an advertisement carried in Hindi newspapers, Bihar chief electoral officer has now asked voters to submit forms without the required documents, which can be submitted later.
"As soon as you receive the enumeration form from the BLO, fill it immediately and submit it to the BLO along with the required documents and photograph," the advertisement said.
"If you do not have the necessary documents, then submit only the filled enumeration form to the BLO," it added.
"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.
This comes after the opposition objected to the ongoing intensive revision of the electoral rolls in Bihar just months ahead of the upcoming assembly elections.
A delegation of 11 parties met the EC and claimed that this will put democracy in Bihar "under threat".
Calling the exercise 'votebandi,' CPM's Dipankar Bhattacharya claimed that the Commission admitted that 20% of Bihar's voters reside outside the state, which effectively means they could lose their right to vote.
"This is nothing less than 'votebandi' for Bihar," he said, comparing the exercise to the demonetisation, or 'notebandi', carried out in 2016.
"There seems to be a failure on our part to convince the Election Commission that one month is not enough for lakhs of voters to submit identification documents. Democracy in Bihar is under threat. A major people's movement is now necessary," he added.
On Saturday, former Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi asked the people to "refuse" to show any documents to the officials.
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.
More than one lakh volunteers will be assisting genuine electors, particularly the old, sick, persons with disabilities, poor, and other vulnerable groups during the special intensive revision.
Out of the existing 7,89,69,844 electors, 4.96 crore electors, whose names are already in the last intensive revision of the Electoral Roll on January 1, 2003, have to "simply verify so, fill the Enumeration Form and submit it."
The enumeration form should be filled between 25 June and 26 July, after which the draft voter list will be published on 1 August 2025; the period for filing claims and objections will be from 1 August to 1 September, and the final voter list will be published on 30 September.