ECI counters rumours amid Bihar’s voter roll exercise row; over 1.69 cr forms collected in SIR drive

New Delhi: Amid swirling political controversies and rumours over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Sunday said the first phase of the process has been completed smoothly and in accordance with guidelines.

In a detailed press note, the ECI said that “no changes have been made in the SIR instructions issued on June 24”, debunking claims from various quarters that the process was being manipulated to favour the ruling dispensation ahead of the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections.

So far, 1.69 crore Enumeration Forms, nearly 21.46 per cent of Bihar’s 7.90 crore registered voters, have been collected, with over 65 lakh forms submitted in the past 24 hours alone.

“It is reiterated that SIR is being conducted as per the SIR instructions dated July 24 2025, and there is no change in the instructions. As per instructions, draft electoral rolls that will be issued on August 1 2025, will contain the names of persons whose enumeration forms are received,” the poll body said.

“The electors can submit their documents any time before July 25, 2025. After publication of draft Electoral Rolls, if any document is deficient, EROs can obtain such documents from the electors whose name appears in the draft Electoral Rolls, during scrutiny in the Claims and Objection period”, it added.

In a robust rebuttal to opposition allegations of exclusion and procedural opacity, the ECI underscored the scale and transparency of the process. 77,895 Booth Level Officers (BLOs) are carrying out house-to-house visits, taking live photographs and assisting electors with form submissions.

Additionally, over 20,000 BLOs have been newly deployed to ensure timely completion. Over 4 lakh volunteers, including government officials, NCC cadets, and NSS members, are working to assist elderly, differently-abled, and vulnerable voters.

Also involved are 239 Electoral Registration Officers (EROs), 963 AEROs, and 38 District Election Officers (DEOs), with 1.5 lakh Booth Level Agents appointed by political parties aiding the drive.

Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, addressing political concerns, stated, “During the past 4 months, all 4,123 EROs, all 775 DEOs and all 36 CEOs have held nearly 5,000 meetings with 28,000 political party representatives. ECI has also invited all Recognised political parties for interaction. No one was satisfied with the current status of electoral rolls for one reason or the other.”

This clarification comes as opposition parties in Bihar, including RJD, Congress and others, have accused the poll panel of attempting to manipulate the voter base through the SIR exercise.

IANS