New Delhi, Aug 30 (IANS) The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Saturday said that political parties in Bihar have submitted only 128 claims and objections so far — 25 seeking inclusion in the voter list and 103 for exclusion.

This comes despite repeated allegations from opposition parties of “vote theft” and “voter list manipulation.”

In contrast, electors themselves have filed nearly 2.27 lakh claims and objections — 29,872 for inclusion and 1,97,764 for exclusion. Of these, 33,771 have already been disposed of, the ECI said.

According to the ECI’s latest bulletin dated August 30, the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) [Liberation] alone accounted for 118 of the 128 submissions from political parties. The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) filed 10 objections seeking inclusion.

Recognised national parties — including the BJP, Congress, CPI(M), AAP, BSP, and the National People’s Party — did not file a single claim or objection.

The data was released even as the Congress and RJD stepped up their criticism of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process, alleging it was designed to disenfranchise voters.

The SIR began on June 24, and the draft electoral roll was published on August 1. The window for filing claims and objections closes on September 1.

The Commission clarified that generic complaints without the prescribed forms are not treated as valid claims or objections. It also noted that no claims were filed by persons other than electors of a particular Assembly constituency, as provided under Section 2(g) of the Representation of the People Act, 1950.

Overall, the ECI said it has received 13.33 lakh claims and objections directly from individual electors across the state, of which over 61,000 have been disposed of so far. It stressed that no name will be deleted from the draft roll without a speaking order from the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) or Assistant ERO after due inquiry.

The ECI also reminded aggrieved persons that they may submit claims in Form 6, along with Aadhaar details, before the September 1 deadline.

–IANS

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