The Election Commission of India has expressed disappointment over the lukewarm response from political parties regarding objections to the draft electoral rolls in Bihar.
Despite appointing over 1.6 lakh booth-level agents (BLAs), only nine objections have been filed by political parties, with the CPI(ML) Liberation being the sole party to raise concerns.
As per ECI’s daily press bulletin pertaining to SIR drive in Bihar so far 99,656 applications have been received from voters seeking inclusion or deletion of names in the draft electoral rolls. Of these 7,367 applications were disposed of by the Electoral Registration Officer.
Also that 2,83,042 new electors applied for inclusion in the rolls since August 1, while 1.6 lakh BLAs appointed by 12 recognized political parties, including RJD’s 47,506 BLAs, Congress’s 17,549 BLAs, and the Left parties’ over 2,000 BLAs.
The ECI emphasized that error-free electoral rolls are crucial for a robust democracy and has urged eligible electors to file claims in Form 6 with Aadhaar by September 1. Objections against ineligible entries can be filed in Form 7. The commission has also made the list of names not included in the draft rolls available on the websites of District Election Officers and the Chief Electoral Officer.
The Supreme Court has taken note of the low participation from political parties and has directed them to assist voters in submitting objections. The court has also asked the ECI to consider uploading acknowledgement receipts on its website for transparency.