EC says no political party has filed claims or objections on Bihar draft electoral rolls

The Election Commission (EC) on Saturday affirmed that no political party has submitted any claim or objection concerning Bihar’s draft electoral rolls since the start of the review process on August 1.

In a statement, the EC noted that despite more than a week passing in the Claims and Objections period, “not a single claim or objection” had been filed by any party. However, the commission confirmed it had received 7,252 submissions directly from individual voters regarding errors in the draft rolls. It also reported that 43,000 new applications had come from those who have recently turned 18 or above.

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Under the rules, these claims and objections can only be addressed after seven days and must be handled by the relevant Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) or Assistant ERO. Furthermore, as per Special Intensive Revision (SIR) guidelines, no name on the draft list published August 1 can be removed without a formal, reasoned order following an inquiry and after giving the individual a fair opportunity to respond.

The SIR exercise in Bihar has triggered political controversy, with the opposition INDIA bloc warning that it could result in mass voter deletions. Their MPs have been staging protests in Parliament since the beginning of the monsoon session, demanding a debate on the matter.

Earlier this week, Congress leader and Lok Sabha Opposition Leader Rahul Gandhi accused the EC of facilitating “vote theft” and claimed that elections are being “choreographed.” Presenting Congress’ research on Karnataka’s Mahadevapura Assembly constituency, Gandhi alleged that 1,00,250 votes had been fraudulently removed. He pointed out that while Congress won other seats, the BJP secured a sweeping victory in Mahadevapura.