The Election Commission is ramping up efforts in Bihar to complete the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, aiming to ensure that all eligible electors are included in the updated voter list. With the deadline for submission of enumeration forms fast approaching on July 25th, officials are focusing on individual contact with remaining voters to facilitate form completion.

So far, the Election Commission has received over 86% of Enumeration Forms in Bihar. This translates to approximately 6.81 crore forms collected out of a total of 7.89 crore electors in the state. The poll panel has established direct contact with nearly all voters in the state as part of the SIR exercise.

To reach the remaining electors, the Election Commission is deploying nearly one lakh Booth Level Officers (BLOs) for a third round of household visits. These BLOs will collect filled Enumeration Forms, ensuring that no eligible voter is left out. The Election Commission has also established special camps in all wards of the 261 Urban Local Bodies in Bihar. Newspaper advertisements have been issued to encourage electors to fill out their forms in time for inclusion in the draft electoral roll, which is expected to be published on August 1st.

The Election Commission has stated that the SIR is progressing well and ahead of its targeted schedule. As of July 12th, over 6.32 crore enumeration forms, accounting for 80.11% of electors, had been collected. Factoring in deceased, permanently shifted individuals, and those enrolled in multiple places, the enumeration form collection phase has covered 90.84% of the electorate in Bihar.

In order to appear in the draft roll, electors need to submit their Enumeration Forms along with supporting eligibility documents. If additional time is needed to gather these documents, they can be submitted separately until August 30th, which is the final date for filing claims and objections.

During the SIR exercise, Booth Level Officers have also uncovered instances of individuals from Nepal, Bangladesh, and Myanmar possessing Indian documents such as Aadhaar cards, domicile certificates, and ration cards.