Union Minister Chirag Paswan defends voter list revision, calls it
He described the process as a routine yet crucial measure to ensure the accuracy and integrity of voter data.
'Don't make this just a political issue. This is a process of sanitisation which has been followed from time to time. It is important to follow it,' Paswan said, emphasising that the exercise is aimed at maintaining a clean and credible electoral system.
Paswan noted that the names of deceased individuals and non-local residents often appear in voter rolls.
'It has been seen many a time that slips are being issued even for those people who died decades ago. It is also seen that sometimes the names of non-locals are also on the voter list,' he stated.
He added that his party remains available to assist citizens facing genuine difficulties during the revision drive
'So, an effort has been made to simplify the process. Still, if someone comes to us with an issue, we try to help them after speaking to the Administration. We are so concerned about intruders. So, we will have to adopt this process gradually,' he added.
Meanwhile, the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise being undertaken in Bihar ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections is progressing smoothly on the ground, with Booth Level Officers (BLOs) completing their first round of visits to nearly 1.5 crore households across the state.
According to official data, more than 87 per cent of Enumeration Forms have already been distributed during the door-to-door verification drive, which is being carried out as part of the Election Commission's ongoing efforts to update and verify the electoral rolls.
According to the Election Commission, the first visit of the Booth Level Officers (BLOS) to nearly 1.5 crore households in the state was completed today and over 87 per cent Enumeration Forms (i.e. 6,86,17,932) out of the total of 7,89,69,844 (nearly 7.90 crore) electors in Bihar who are enrolled as on June 24, 2025, have been distributed during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise being conducted in the state.
The remaining houses could be locked, or belong to deceased electors, migrants, or those who may be travelling.
Since the BLO shall be visiting the houses of the electors three times during the exercise, these figures are likely to increase further.
The partially filled forms are also available for download on the ECI portal, as well as on the ECINET App. Electors can upload the filled forms themselves on the ECINET App.
Besides, 1,54,977 Booth Level Agents (BLAS) appointed by various political parties are also providing active support in the SIR process.
As on July 2, BJP has appointed 52,689 BLAS, followed by 47,504 of RJD, 34,669 of JD(U), 16,500 of INC, 1913 of Rashtriya Lok Jan Shakti Party, 1271 of CPI(ML)L, 1153 of Lok Jan Shakti Party (Ram Vilas), 578 of CPI(M), 270 of Rashtriya Lok Samta Party besides others such as BSP (74), NPP (3) and AAP (1). Each BLA can submit up to 50 certified forms per day.
Nearly five per cent filled-up and signed forms, i.e. nearly 38 lakh forms have already been received by the BLOS, who are working sincerely with the sole motto - Inclusion First, which has been repeatedly emphasised upon by the Commission.
As per SIR, to have one's name included in the Draft Electoral Roll to be published on August 1, 2025, the strict condition for an elector is to sign and submit the pre-printed form.
Enumeration Form before 25th July 2025. Simultaneous verification of the uploaded forms has also been started.
Despite apprehensions from some quarters, SIR will ensure that all eligible persons are included.
Based on the documents attached or not attached, along with the signed Enumeration Form, eligibility verification of each name included in the draft rolls will be conducted continuously upon receipt.
Verification will commence vigorously from August 2, 2025, onwards, following the publication of the draft electoral rolls. Based on the published Draft of Electoral Rolls, Claims and Objections will be received from any political parties or any member of the public from 2nd August 2025 onwards.
The final electoral rolls will be published on September 30, 2025. Appeals can also be filed thereafter with the DM and the CEO. (ANI)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Mint
an hour ago
- Mint
Piyush Goyal unveils ₹3 lakh crore boost for research, jobs, and startups
Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal announced a ₹ 3 lakh crore allocation for new schemes aimed at fueling India's economic progress. Speaking at an interactive session with industry leaders in Bengaluru, Goyal highlighted the government's commitment of strengthening the country's research, employment, and India's startup ecosystem, ANI reported. The Union minister also gave details about the latest Cabinet approvals, which include: ₹ 1 lakh crore for research and innovation: A significant amount of ₹ 1 lakh crore will be dedicated to promote research and development and innovation. 1 lakh crore for research and innovation: A significant amount of 1 lakh crore will be dedicated to promote research and development and innovation. ₹ 2 lakh crore for employment generation: Another allocation of ₹ 2 lakh crore towards employment generation incentive scheme and several other programs for skill development, including an internship program. The schemes aim to benefit various sectors across the country. "These will give encouragement to support an ecosystem of startup, tech and manufacturing," Goyal added, speaking of the approvals. Piyush Goyal also praised Bengaluru's established deep tech and startup ecosystem, calling it a "jewel in the crown" of India's economic landscape. He acknowledged the crucial contributions of the city's global capability centres and tech entrepreneurs in driving growth. He said, "I also believe that the deep tech industry, the startup ecosystem, which is present in Bengaluru in a big way, is a jewel in our crown. We are very proud of the good work that the tech sector particularly, and the global capability centres are doing." Beyond economic policy, Piyush Goyal also addressed broader national concerns. During his interaction, he expressed satisfaction at the appreciation received from attendees on Operation Sindoor following a recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam. "I was also very pleased when one of the questioners complimented the government for the fitting response given under Operation Sindoor to the terrorist attack,' he said.
The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
Over one crore electors submit enumeration forms in Bihar
The Election Commission (EC) on Saturday (July 5, 2025) said that the special intensive revision (SIR) is underway in full swing in Bihar. Booth-level officers (BLOs), BLO supervisors, election officials, agents appointed by the political parties and volunteers are working tirelessly at the grassroots level to ensure that no eligible elector is left out, it said. In a press statement issued by EC Deputy Director P. Pawan said that as of 6 p.m. on July 5, enumeration forms were received from 1,04,16,545 electors i.e. 13.19 per cent of the total 7,89,69,844 (nearly 7.90 crore) electors in Bihar who are enrolled as on June 24, 2025. The last date for submission of forms in July 25. The percentage of the forms distributed has also gone up to 93.57%, with 7,38,89,333 forms distributed already. He also stated that 77,895 BLOs are going house-to-house to help the electors fill out their enumeration forms and collect them. In a large number of cases, the BLOs are taking photographs of the electors and uploading them, saving the elector the trouble of getting their pictures clicked. Mr. Pawan pointed out that the partially filled forms are also available for download on the ECI portal ( as well on ECINET App. Filled forms can be uploaded by the elector himself on ECINET App. Additionally, 20,603 BLOs are being appointed for the smooth and timely completion of the process. Nearly four lakh volunteers which includes government officials, NCC cadets, NSS members etc. are also working on the field to help the elderly, PwDs, sick and vulnerable populations in the SIR process. Besides, 239 electoral registration officers (EROs), 963 AEROs, 38 district electoral officers (DEOs) and the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of the State are involved in the SIR process. As many as 1,54,977 booth-level agents (BLAs) appointed by various political parties are also providing active support . More honorarium for BLOs Bihar CEO Vinod Singh Gunjiyal said the work is progressing at a rapid pace in Bihar. Commending the booth-level officers on their work to make the campaign successful, he announced an additional honorarium of ₹6,000 for them. 'In the light of the instructions of the Election Commission of India, remarkable work is being done by the polling station officials to reach every voter and not let any eligible person be left out of the voter list. This additional honorarium will further boost their morale,' Mr. Gunjiyal said. Meanwhile, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader and former Chief Minister Rabri Devi on Saturday (July 5, 2025) appealed to the voters not to show any documents other that the voter I-card when poll officials visit their house for electoral roll revision. Speaking at the party's national council meeting, she said both the Union and State governments had put the country on sale, and now they are up against the poor and deprived to snatch their voting rights.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
CEC Kumar defends Bihar voter eligibility norms, says update aligns with Constitution
Firozabad: Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on Saturday defended the Election Commission's transparency and clarified Bihar's voter eligibility norms amid sharp opposition criticism during a private visit to Firozabad on Saturday. The Commission is under fire over its special intensive revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in Bihar, launched for the first time in 22 years, months before Bihar goes to the polls. Kumar said EC had been maintaining continuous engagement with political parties. Over the past four months, it conducted party-level meetings across every assembly constituency in the country. "Meetings were also held at district level and in the offices of chief electoral officers of all states. In total, around 5,000 meetings have taken place, involving approximately 28,000 political party representatives," he said. He added that EC had already held consultations with five national parties and more than four state-level parties. "Whenever an issue arises, we are open to personal meetings with party representatives," he said. Kumar stressed that while voters were the primary stakeholders in any election, political parties remained an integral part of the democratic process. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 2025 Top Trending local enterprise accounting software [Click Here] Esseps Learn More Undo "We ensure consistent and collaborative dialogue with them," he added. Kumar urged political stakeholders to read the EC's orders carefully before raising objections. "Often, the solutions to controversial matters lie within the very orders we issue," he said. Addressing the dispute over Bihar's electoral roll, Kumar clarified that individuals whose names were included in the 2003 voter list were prima facie eligible under Article 326 of the Constitution. "Such individuals are not required to furnish any additional documents," he said. He added that if the children of these eligible voters applied for registration, they too would not be required to submit certificates related to their parents' eligibility. The clarification comes amid widespread opposition to the SIR exercise, which is scheduled to end on July 25. Opposition parties, including Congress, RJD, JMM and AIMIM, have alleged that the process mirrors a backdoor National Register of Citizens (NRC) and could disenfranchise large sections of Bihar's eight crore electorate, particularly the poor, migrants and marginalised communities. Critics have also flagged the timing of the drive during the monsoon season as impractical. Kumar said the timeline matched past precedents. "In 2002, the literacy test process in Bihar was conducted over 31 days, from July 15 to Aug 14. This year too, the entire process — from June 24 to July 25 — will be completed within 31 days," he said. The Election Commission has claimed it invited all parties for discussions on the SIR. However, officials noted that Congress and RJD did not respond to these invitations. TOI has previously reported that despite the opposition's accusations, the Commission has maintained that it is following due constitutional process in updating the electoral rolls ahead of the Bihar assembly elections later this year.
