New Delhi, Aug 2 (IANS) The Election Commission of India (ECI) has launched a month-long voter verification campaign in Bihar starting Saturday, following the release of the draft voter list as part of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.

The campaign, aimed at allowing citizens to check their names and raise objections or claims, will continue until September 1. Special voter assistance camps are being set up across the state at Block-cum-Anchal offices and in urban bodies such as Nagar Panchayats, Nagar Parishads, and Municipal Corporation zones.

The release of the draft electoral roll on Friday revealed a significant drop in the number of registered voters in Bihar, by over 65 lakh, compared to the previous list. This reduction has triggered both political debate and legal scrutiny.

According to the ECI, the majority of the 65 lakh deletions are due to reasons such as death, double registration in different constituencies, permanent migration out of Bihar, or untraceability of the voter during the door-to-door verification process conducted during the first phase of the SIR.

In a public appeal, the ECI urged all eligible voters to verify their names on the draft list, which is now available on the official ECI portal. If a voter’s name is missing, they are required to submit Form 6 along with a declaration form, as specified in the SIR guidelines.

While the ECI maintains that the exercise is aimed at purifying electoral rolls and ensuring fair elections, Opposition parties have raised serious concerns.

They have accused the Commission of conducting a covert attempt to implement the National Register of Citizens (NRC) through this revision, calling it a “backdoor NRC”. Several political parties have already approached the Supreme Court, demanding transparency and safeguards in the process.

The apex court, while hearing the matter, suggested that the ECI should consider Aadhaar and Voter ID cards as valid proof of identity during the verification process. The next hearing has been scheduled for August 12.

–IANS

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