The meeting was aimed to address the parties’ queries and provide clarity on the SIR process.
Election commission of India (File Photo:ANI)
The Election Commission of India met representatives of 11 political parties to discuss concerns and issues related to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, the poll panel said in a press note on Thursday.
The meeting was aimed to address the parties’ queries and provide clarity on the SIR process.
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Representatives from the Indian National Congress, Rashtriya Janata Dal, Samajwadi Party, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, Nationalist Congress Party – Sharadchandra Pawar, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, Communist Party of India (Marxist), Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation, Communist Party of India, and Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackrey) attended the meeting.
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Opposition parties, including the Rashtriya Janata Dal, expressed concerns that the SIR might be used to disenfranchise voters, particularly the poor and marginalized.
Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar assured that the SIR would be conducted transparently and fairly, with measures in place to assist vulnerable groups, such as senior citizens, persons with disabilities, and the economically vulnerable.
The SIR exercise is being conducted in a planned, structured, and phased manner to facilitate the inclusion of all eligible citizens.
Enumeration forms had been printed and distributed to approximately 7.90 crore electors in Bihar from June 25 to July 3. These forms have to be submitted before July 25 and completed forms will be collected by Booth Level Officers along with self-attested documents from June 25 to July 26.
The Draft Electoral Roll will be published on August 1 while claims and objections will be filed from August 1 to September 1, the poll panel said.
Urging all eligible citizens in Bihar to participate actively in this special drive to ensure that no voter is left out, the Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar exhorted all political parties to come forward and appoint more Booth Level Agents to assist voters in enrollment and make the process fully transparent and participative.
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