New Delhi, July 4 (IANS) The final Electoral Rolls of Bihar will be published on September 30, paving the way for voters to file appeals related to the list with district magistrates and the Chief Electoral Officer, an ECI official said on Friday.

Nearly five per cent of filled-up and signed forms – nearly 38 lakh – have already been received by the Booth Level Officers (BLOs) who completed their first visit to nearly 1.5 crore households in the state on Friday, he said.

During the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, Enumeration Forms (6.86 crore) have been distributed to 87 per cent of the total of the nearly 7.90 crore electors in Bihar who were enrolled as on June 24, he said.

The remaining houses could be locked, or of dead electors, or of migrants or those who may be travelling, the official said, adding that since the BLO shall be visiting three times to the houses of the electors during the exercise, these figures are likely to increase further.

The partially filled forms are also available for download on the ECI portal (https://voters.eci.gov.in) as well as on the ECINET App, and the filled forms can be uploaded by the electors 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 Rashtriya Janata Dal, 34,669 of Janata Dal (United), 16,500 of Congress, 1,913 of Rashtriya Lok Jan Shakti Party, 1,271 of Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) Liberation (CPI(ML)L), 1,153 of Lok Jan Shakti Party (Ram Vilas), 578 of CPI(M), 270 of Rashtriya Lok Samta Party besides others. Each BLA can submit up to 50 certified forms per day, the official said.

As per SIR, in order to get one’s name in the Draft Electoral Roll to be published on August 1, the strict condition for an elector is to sign and submit the pre-printed Enumeration Form before July 25.

Simultaneous verification of the uploaded forms has also been started. Despite apprehensions by some quarters, SIR will ensure that all eligible persons will be included.

Based on the documents attached or not attached, with the signed Enumeration Form, eligibility verification of each name included in the draft rolls will be done continuously after their receipt, said an official.

Verification will start vigorously from August 2 after the publication of the Draft Electoral Rolls. On the basis of the published Draft Electoral Rolls, claims and objections will be taken from political parties and the public on August 2.

–IANS

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