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The Hindu
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Major relief to voters, EC makes big decision on documents ahead of Assembly elections in Bihar
Amid the uproar over the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, Bihar Chief Electoral Office made a big announcement in the form of advertisement asserting that voters can get verified in the electoral rolls even without submitting the mandatory documents. 'If you (read voters) provide the required documents, it will be easier for the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) to process the application. If you are unable to provide the required documents, the ERO can take a decision on the basis of local investigation or other documentary evidence,' the Election Commission (EC) said in the advertisement published on front pages of all the local newspapers of Bihar on Sunday (July 6, 2025). This is for the first time that such a decision has been taken after continuous questioning by the Opposition leaders. In the advertisement an appeal has been made to the voters that as soon as they receive the enumeration forms form from the BLO, fill it immediately and provide it to the BLO along with the necessary documents and photo. Then in the next line it added, If the necessary documents and photo are not available, then just fill the form and provide it to the BLO. Aadhaar card, PAN card, MGNREGA job card, voter identity card, driving licence, and bank passbook are unfortunately not acceptable for the SIR process. The 11 documents being accepted are include birth certificates, passports, education certificates, permanent residence, forest rights, and caste certificates, the family register prepared by State and local authorities, land or house allotment certificates issued by the government, as well as documents issued to government employees or pensioners, and other documents issued by a range of public authorities before 1967. A source in the office of Bihar CEO said that the 11 documents which were asked earlier still exist and voters should not get confused. 'The EC has made some changes keeping the problems being faced by the voters to furnish the documents and that's the reason ERO will take the final call after physical verification of the voters. At least the voters should fill the form even without the photo and require the document and submit it to the BLO, ' an official told The Hindu. On Friday (July 4, 2025) a delegation of INDIA bloc leaders headed by Tejashwi Yadav met Bihar Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Vinod Singh Gunjiyal to raise the objection over the SIR. The INDIA bloc leaders had termed the SIR impractical and anti-democratic. Along with this, it demanded recognition of Aadhar card, ration card and MGNREGA card to add in the list of key documents for the verification and revision of the voter list. As per the data till 7:00 p.m., on Saturday (July 5, 2025), a total of 1,12,01,674 enumeration forms have been collected in Bihar, which is 14.18% of the total number of potential voters. In addition, the total number of enumeration forms uploaded was 23,90,329, out of which 23,14,602 forms were uploaded through BLOs, while 75,789 forms were uploaded by general voters through online mode. Mr. Gunjiyal has appealed that all the voters of Bihar should actively participate in the SIR and fill the counting form through offline and online mediums so that no eligible voter is left out.
The Hindu
04-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Allow Aadhaar and ration cards as key documents for Bihar special revision of electoral roll: INDIA bloc
A delegation of INDIA bloc leaders on Friday (July 4, 2025) met Bihar Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Vinod Singh Gunjiyal to raise their objection over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls currently under way in Bihar. INDIA bloc coordination committee head and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav led the delegation, which said that the Union and State governments were hatching a conspiracy to prevent the deprived sections of society from exercising their franchise in the upcoming Assembly election in Bihar. The INDIA bloc leaders termed the revision 'impractical' and 'anti-democratic'. They demanded that Aadhar cards, ration cards and MGNREGA cards be included among the key documents allowed for the verification and revision of the voter list. RJD State president Mangani Lal Mandal, RJD leaders Manoj Kumar Jha, Sanjay Yadav and Alok Kumar Mehta, Bihar Congress chief Rajesh Kumar, Congress Leader of Legislative Party (CLP) Shakeel Ahmad, Vikassheel Insaan Party's Mukesh Sahni, the CPI(ML)'s Kumar Parvez, the CPI's Ram Naresh Pandey and the CPI(M)'s Lalan Choudhary were part of the delegation. 'On the instruction of Nitish Kumar, Narendra Modi and Amit Shah, these things are happening because they have realised that they are losing the election and they will be thrown out of power in Bihar. Only 22 days are left, how will the Election Commission verify nearly 8 crore voters? Why do the people of Bihar need to prove their citizenship in the country?' Mr. Yadav asked He further said, 'On the same voter list, the 2024 Lok Sabha election was conducted. If that voters list was fake, then election was also fake and the government which was formed too was fake. Why was this decision taken in haste?' 'Around 3 crore registered people from Bihar have migrated to other states to earn a living. Nothing is being said clearly about such people,' Mr. Yadav said. He added that the EC and the government should clarify how many people possess the documents out of the 11 documents that have been asked for. Meanwhile, P. Pawan, Deputy Director of the Election Commission Of India, in an official press note stated that the preliminary visit of booth-level officers (BLOs) to nearly 1.5 crore households in the State had been completed. As many as 6,86,17,932 enumeration forms (87%) of the total of 7,89,69,844 electors in Bihar who are enrolled as on June 24, 2025, have been distributed. 'The remaining houses could be locked, or of dead electors, or of migrants or of those who may be travelling. Since, the BLOs shall be visiting the houses of the electors three times during the exercise, these figures are likely to increase further,' Mr. Pawan said in the statement. The EC added that nearly five per cent had filled up and signed the forms, that is, nearly 38 lakh forms have already been received by the BLOs. Meanwhile, the RJD's national executive, at a meeting in Patna decided to oppose the revision of the voter list. The meeting was chaired by RJD national president Lalu Prasad, who proposed a national council meeting and the party's open session on Saturday. While chairing the meeting, Mr. Prasad said that the people of Bihar are in a mood for change. In a post on X earlier in the day, he said, 'The sanghis have brought the country's democracy to such a stage where citizens are struggling to protect their right to vote, and attempts are being made by the government to snatch away their voting rights. The Election Commission is hatching conspiracies to deprive voters of their right to vote. The EC is discouraging voters and subjecting them to mental, economic, and social harassment. Instead of verifying votes, it is asking citizens to prove their citizenship. It is not even accepting the Aadhaar card issued by the Government of India. We will not let their hooliganism prevail.' Even NDA alliance partner and Rashtriya Lok Morcha leader Upendra Kushwaha raised concerns over the short time for the revision, while speaking to media in New Delhi today.
Indian Express
04-07-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
For special revision of Bihar's electoral rolls, booth level officers to get Rs 6,000
The nearly 1 lakh booth level officers (BLOs) and BLO supervisors carrying out the Election Commission's (EC's) 'special intensive revision' of Bihar's electoral rolls will get Rs 6,000 each as an honorarium, according to an EC instruction issued on Thursday. '…in view of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision and considering the volume and nature of the work involved, the Commission has approved the grant of a one-time honorarium of Rs 6,000 to each BLO and BLO supervisor engaged in the exercise, in addition to their annual remuneration,' the EC said, writing to Bihar Chief Electoral Officer Vinod Singh Gunjiyal. As per the EC's order on June 24, the electoral roll of Bihar will be prepared afresh, with the 2003 roll as the basis. All 7.8 crore electors in the state will have to fill out enumeration forms that BLOs are supposed to distribute house-to-house by July 25. Those who were on the 2003 rolls—4.96 crore electors—will not have to provide any additional documents. However, the post-2003 electors, 2.93 crore people, would have to give their own and their parents' date and/or place of birth proof. Bihar has 77,895 BLOs for existing booths and about 14,000 for new booths that are being set up, as well as one BLO supervisor for every 10 booths, Gunjiyal said. 'The BLOs are doing tremendous work. This is to motivate them,' Gunjiyal told The Indian Express. While Opposition parties, including the RJD, Congress, CPI (M), CPI (ML) and TMC, have raised concerns over the 'special intensive revision' exercise potentially disenfranchising electors, for villagers across Bihar, this has meant a desperate scramble for residential and caste certificates.
Hindustan Times
30-06-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Bihar deploys 2.25 lakh staff for special intensive revision of electoral rolls
The Bihar election office has mobilised 2,25,590 administrative staff and volunteers for a special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls to ensure voter list accuracy across all 38 districts in the poll-bound state, chief electoral officer (CEO) Vinod Singh Gunjiyal said on Monday. Voters pose with enumeration forms in Bihar's Patna. (Santosh Kumar/ HT Photo) The process, to be carried out by 81,753 administrative personnel and 1,43,837 volunteers, involves conducting door-to-door surveys at the booth level. Gunjiyal said booth level officers (BLOs) have been trained under district election officers to oversee the distribution and collection of counting forms. Volunteers will assist BLOs in filling these forms, with supervisors and sector officers monitoring the process. 'We urge citizens to cooperate with BLOs and volunteers to make this campaign a success,' Gunjiyal said. The Election Commission of India (ECI) has ordered the deployment of 20,603 additional polling booth officials, along with 77,895 existing ones, to manage new polling stations in Bihar. Over 1.5 lakh booth level agents (BLAs) appointed by political parties are actively verifying voter lists to ensure accuracy. Voters can access updates on the SIR campaign through the CEO's social media handles on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, or contact toll-free helpline number 1950 for assistance. The poll body is carrying out the SRI in Bihar despite strong opposition from parties such as the Congress, Rashtriya Janata Dal, Trinamool Congress, and AIMIM, who have alleged that the SIR in Bihar risks disenfranchising voters and resembles a 'backdoor NRC'. The SIR, launched on June 25, 2025, involves administrative staff and volunteers conducting door-to-door surveys to verify 78.9 million electors, with 29.3 million required to submit citizenship proof. Critics, including Congress leader Digvijaya Singh, said the rushed timeline and documentation demands could lead to marginalised groups being excluded, as opposition parties plan to challenge the SIR in the Supreme Court claiming electoral manipulation.
Indian Express
28-06-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
First-level EVM checks done ahead of Bihar assembly polls, faulty units sent for repairs to Hyderabad
The first-level checking (FLC) of electronic voting machines (EVMs) ahead of the Bihar assembly polls has found that 12.26% of ballot units, 4.96% of control units, and 4.67% of VVPATs were declared 'FLC Rejected' following technical scrutiny across the state. According to the Chief Electoral Officer's (CEO) office, a total of 1,76,506 ballot units were checked, with 21,634 units failing to clear the inspection. Similarly, 6,389 out of 1,28,726 control units and 6,369 out of 1,36,317 VVPATs failed to clear the test. At the same time, officials said, a significant majority of the machines, '1,54,872 BU, 1,22,337 CU, and 1,29,948 VVPATs were found 'FLC OK'' and cleared for use in the upcoming polls. 'A total of 189 engineers from ECIL were deputed to carry out the checks across the state. The rejected machines are being sent to ECIL in Hyderabad for repairs, while the status of all units, whether cleared or rejected, was updated daily on the EMS 2.0 portal,' officials said. The FLC process, described by the Election Commission as 'a preliminary and crucial technical inspection process,' was conducted from May 2 to June 25 under the supervision of district election officers and ECIL engineers, with representatives from all major political parties invited to observe. The FLC process was monitored through live webcasting in all districts, allowing real-time oversight by the Election Commission and the CEO's office. 'After completion of FLC, the list of approved EVMs was provided to all recognised national and state parties at the district level,' officials said, stressing on transparency in the process. The electoral officers noted that all 12 recognised national and state-level political parties were informed about the FLC programme at least six times and urged to send their representatives. 'Over 200 letters were sent to parties that were not attending, urging them to participate,' sources said. The election body mentioned that the state-level meeting chaired by CEO Vinod Singh Gunjiyal on May 13 reviewed party participation and the progress of the FLC. 'Most major parties, including the BJP, Congress, RJD, JD(U), LJP (Ram Vilas), CPI(M), CPI(ML), and BSP, actively participated across districts, while others such as the Aam Aadmi Party, RLSP, and RLJP had limited presence. The National People's Party did not participate in any district,' officials said. Officials noted that party participation was 'robust in 31 districts', including Patna, Muzaffarpur, and Bhagalpur, while seven districts – Banka, Darbhanga, Gaya, Gopalganj, Nalanda, Supaul and Kishanganj – saw comparatively fewer party representatives during the FLC. 'All parties expressed satisfaction with the quality and arrangements of the process,' the electoral officials said. They informed that the Election Commission of India and the CEO's office maintained 'intensive and continuous monitoring' of the process through live webcasting and field visits. '28 observers, including senior officials and EVM nodal officers from other states, were deployed for on-ground supervision,' EC officials said, with CEO Vinod Singh Gunjiyal personally inspecting FLC halls in Patna and Katihar. With the completion of the FLC, officials said Bihar is now 'fully prepared for the upcoming Assembly elections, reaffirming the commitment to a transparent and credible electoral process.'
