ECI nears deadline for claims and objections on Bihar draft electoral roll

New Delhi, Aug 31 (IANS) The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Sunday announced that only one day remains for filing claims and objections on the draft electoral roll of 7.24 crore electors in Bihar, as part of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) 2025.

The draft roll, published on August 1, is undergoing scrutiny through claims submitted by political parties, electors, and Booth Level Agents (BLAs). According to the Commission’s daily bulletin (1st-31st August), a total of 1,60,813 BLAs were appointed by political parties.

Among them, 25 claims for inclusion and 103 objections for exclusion were filed.

The Bharatiya Janata Party appointed the highest number of BLAs at 53,338, followed by the RJD with 47,506, Janata Dal (United) with 36,550 and the Indian National Congress with 17,549.

At the individual level, citizens have been more active. The Commission reported receiving 33,326 claims for inclusion and 2,07,565 objections for exclusion, of which 38,342 have already been disposed of.

Additionally, over 15.32 lakh new electors aged 18 or above have submitted Form-6 applications, with 81,073 cases disposed of within seven days. The ECI reiterated that claims and objections must be filed before September 1, 2025, with proper documentation such as Aadhaar.

Eligible electors left out of the draft may apply through Form 6, while objections to ineligible names must be submitted in Form 7.

BLAs of recognised political parties are also empowered to file these on behalf of voters with prescribed declarations.

The SIR, launched on June 24, 2025, aims to ensure accuracy and purity in electoral rolls. “Pure electoral rolls strengthen democracy,” the Commission underlined in its advisory, stressing that rolls are prepared strictly in accordance with the law.

Final electoral rolls, after disposal of claims and objections, will be made available publicly and on the CEO, Bihar website.

--IANS

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