New Delhi, Aug 25 (IANS) Ahead of the release of the final voter list in Bihar on September 1, there are indications that the number of voters found missing during the preparation of draft rolls may increase beyond 65 lakh, sources in the ECI said.
Claiming that work under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral roll is progressing smoothly, ECI sources said if the next Assembly election is held using the new voter list the voting percentage is sure to record a jump.
Out of the over 7.24 crore electors whose names are recorded in the draft voter list released on August 1, a total of 7.17 crore voters have already deposited their forms along with documents, said an official source.
During the enumeration phase of the SIR held from June 24 to July 25, more than 7.24 crore electors — out of a total of 7.89 crore — submitted their details. The draft rolls, however, showed about 65 lakh voters missing.
Election office sources said on Monday that in the final list to be released on September 1 the number of missing voters is likely to increase beyond 65 lakh.
As of now, the 65 lakh missing voters include 22 lakh deceased (2.83 per cent), 36 lakh (4.59 per cent) who have permanently shifted or could not be traced, and seven lakh (0.89 per cent) found enrolled in more than one place, the ECI data revealed.
Sources said new election identity cards with latest photos of electors will also be issued to all Bihar voters after the release of the final voter list.
The new voter cards will retain the existing Electors Photo Identity Card (EPIC) number but the name of the voting booth may be get changed as the number of booths in the state has been increased for voters’ convenience, said a source.
“The presence of a latest photo on EPIC is also going to make identification of electors easy,” said an official source.
Earlier, the ECI said that it has so far received 1,40,931 applications from voters in Bihar for inclusion or deletion of names in the draft electoral rolls.
Of the applications from individual voters, 14,374 have already been disposed of by Electoral Registration Officers (EROs). The claims and objections period, which began on August 1, will remain open till September 1.
The Commission noted that the CPI(ML) Liberation is the only political party to have filed objections, submitting 10 complaints related to the draft rolls. Despite repeated appeals, other political parties have not engaged actively in the revision exercise, it added.
Since August 1, as many as 3,79,692 new electors who turned 18 after the launch of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) have applied for inclusion. The ECI said that a month-long opportunity has been provided to individuals, political parties, and their 1.6 lakh booth-level agents (BLAs) to flag errors.
According to data, the RJD has deputed 47,506 BLAs, Congress 17,549, and Left parties over 2,000 — together accounting for more than 67,000 representatives.
As per rules, claims and objections can only be disposed of after the expiry of a seven-day notice period and verification of eligibility by the concerned ERO/AERO. No name from the draft rolls can be deleted without a formal “speaking order” following an enquiry and after giving the elector a fair opportunity to be heard.
The Commission has urged eligible electors left out of the rolls to file claims in Form 6 with Aadhaar by September 1. Similarly, objections against ineligible entries can be filed in Form 7. Even non-electors of a constituency may file objections if supported by a declaration or oath, as per the rules.
–IANS
rch/pgh
