9 days since Bihar draft rolls published, no party filed objections: EC

New Delhi: The Election Commission (EC) on Sunday confirmed that since the publication of the Bihar draft electoral rolls on August 1, no political party has submitted any objections or requests for inclusion or deletion of names.

The draft rolls will remain open for claims and objections until September 1. During this period, political parties and individuals can apply for the addition of eligible voters omitted from the list or the removal of names they consider ineligible.

Between August 1 and 3 pm on August 10, no booth-level agent (BLA) appointed by political parties has approached the poll authorities under the claims and objections process, the EC said. Ahead of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the Bihar electoral rolls that began in June, a total of 1.61 lakh BLAs were deployed by various parties.

So far, the authorities have received 8,341 forms for either inclusion or deletion of names of individual electors.

The draft roll is part of the ongoing SIR exercise in Bihar, which has faced opposition protests claiming the revision could disenfranchise many eligible voters due to documentary requirements. These protests have led to repeated disruptions in both Houses of Parliament since the Monsoon session began on July 21.

The Election Commission has reiterated its commitment that no eligible citizen will be excluded from the electoral rolls. The final voter list for Bihar is scheduled for publication on September 30.

With PTI inputs