New Delhi: A delegation of leaders from the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) met the full bench of Election Commission of India on Thursday over the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in Bihar. Talking to the media after the meeting, RJD Rajya Sabha MP Manoj Jha said they discussed the SIR in detail and were assured by the poll panel that they will make the procedure simpler and bring more transparency. "We had around a two-hour long meeting, with all aspects of SIR, deletions, objections, period, postal ballot, and we presented the RJD's perspective on all issues. We believe they will take positive steps regarding our concerns," he said. "EC has said they will take steps to make the process simpler and more transparent," Jha added.
Besides Jha, RJD MP Sudhakar Singh and party leader Chitaranjan Gagan were part of the delegation that met Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and ECs Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi. The EC, in a statement, said the interaction is in continuation of the interactions being held by ECI with the Presidents of various National and State Political Parties. "During the past six months, a total of 4,719 all-party meetings were conducted, including 40 meetings by CEOs, 800 by DEOs, and 3879 by EROs, engaging over 28,000 representatives of various political parties," the EC said. The SIR in poll-bound Bihar has come under attack from opposition parties, which have dubbed it as an exercise which would lead to disenfranchisement for many, and have also questioned the timing of the exercise. The Supreme Court has asked the EC to ensure that no eligible citizen is left behind. The Supreme Court on Monday directed that Aadhaar card "must" be included as an identity proof of voters in the special intensive revision exercise of electoral rolls in Bihar.