EC publishes draft electoral rolls in Bihar, objections allowed until Sept 1

The EC said the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Bihar and all 243 electoral registration officers (EROs) are now inviting claims and objections from electors and political parties to be submitted between August 1 and September 1.

“Any elector from an Assembly constituency or any recognised political party may submit claims to include missing eligible electors, remove ineligible names, or correct any inaccuracies in the draft rolls,” Bihar CEO Vinod Singh Gunjiyal said.

Throughout the one-month claims period, electors and political parties can file the relevant forms with the EROs. The process will be overseen by 243 EROs and 2,976 assistant electoral registration officers (AEROs) stationed across the state.

The EC clarified that under SIR guidelines, “no name can be deleted” from the published draft rolls without due notice and a speaking order from the ERO or AERO concerned. “If an elector is dissatisfied with an ERO’s decision, they may appeal to the District Magistrate or the Chief Electoral Office,” the CEO said. Volunteers have been trained to assist citizens in filing such appeals.

The commission urged political parties to meticulously review the draft rolls. “Parties have been asked to meticulously review the draft rolls published on August 1 and assist in filing claims and objections where necessary,” the CEO said.

The EC said that the published draft rolls include all eligible voters who submitted their enumeration forms. Lists of deceased voters, those who migrated, and individuals who could not be traced have already been shared with all 12 recognised political parties for review.

Officials said that during the enumeration process, approximately 22 lakh deceased electors, 7 lakh duplicate entries, and 36 lakh voters who have either migrated permanently or were untraceable were identified.

Patna was the district with the highest number of pending enumeration forms, with 3,95,500 yet to be received. Madhubani came next with 3,52,545. Other districts with high pendency include Gopalganj (3,10,363), Purvi Champaran (3,16,793), Samastipur (2,83,955), and Muzaffarpur (2,82,845).

Districts with the lowest number of pending enumeration forms were Sheikhpura (26,256), Sheohar (28,166), and Arwal (30,180).

“The SIR exercise aims to produce an accurate and up-to-date electoral roll ahead of the upcoming elections, and final rolls will be published after review of all submissions,” an official said.