Tenfold jump in objections to voter rolls as deadline nears

Objections lodged by political parties against Bihar’s draft electoral roll recorded a sharp tenfold surge in the past 72 hours. Between August 26 and 29, the figure rose from just 10 objections filed by CPI (ML) Liberation to 117 in total — including 108 from the Left party and nine from the RJD.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) had opened a month-long window for filing claims and objections on August 1, coinciding with the publication of the draft rolls. The exercise will conclude on September 1.

Responding to Opposition allegations, mainly from the Congress and RJD, that their booth-level agents were being turned away by district authorities when attempting to submit grievances, ECI sources clarified that objections could also be filed online. Considering that opposition parties are running high profile digital campaigns, it should not be difficult for their BLAs to file objections digitally, ECI sources further claimed.

Meanwhile, 2,11,650 voters had submitted claims against the draft list up to August 29. However, nearly 65 lakh voters face deletion from the rolls, with 22 lakh recorded as deceased and others either permanently relocated or found in possession of more than one voter ID with different addresses.