EC likely to release final poll roll for Bihar after filing of nominations

The Election Commission has all along maintained that the final publication of Bihar electoral rolls will come out on September 30. But, sources in the poll panel have claimed that it would be a draft list and the final list was likely to be released only after the last date for filing of nomination for the state’s Assembly elections.

They said this would give them time to streamline all the claims and objections, which were filed between August 1 and September 1 against the draft electoral rolls, which were uploaded on August 1 after submission of forms by all 7.24 crore voters of Bihar under the special intensive revision (SIR) of voters’ list.

As per the original SIR timeline, decision on enumeration forms received during the house to house enumeration period as well as disposal of claims and objections were to be done and completed by September 25.

Subsequently, checking of health parameters of the finalised electoral rolls and obtaining EC’s permission for final publication, as well as updation of database and printing of supplements was to be done by September 27.

Once all these formalities were wrapped up, the final publication of electoral roll was to be done on September 30.

However with the EC having received several enumeration forms along with the complete sets of supporting documents till the eleventh hour, the original schedule will have to be modified. Besides, the Congress has submitted (albeit not in proper format as per the poll body) 89 lakh complaints of alleged irregularities in the draft electoral roll, that too at the last moment

With all these last minute developments, ECI officials said that the final electoral roll of Bihar will be completed only after the last date for filing of nomination for the forthcoming Assembly elections in the state, by which time a clear picture will emerge regarding the voters’ list. Objections and complaints would have also been addressed in this time.