‘Electoral roll a dynamic list which needs review, only eligible citizens can be on it’

NEW DELHI: Amid protests by opposition parties against Special Intensive Revision (SIR) that began in Bihar last week, the Election Commission on Monday said the revision is needed as the electoral roll keeps changing due to a variety of reasons and the Constitution mandates it to ensure that only eligible citizens are part of the voters’ list.

Several opposition parties have claimed that the intensive revision carries the risk of willful exclusion of voters using the state machinery.

In a statement, the Election Commission said the revision of electoral rolls is must as it is a dynamic list which keeps changing due to deaths, shifting of people due to migration and addition of new voters who have turned 18.

“Further, Article 326 of the Constitution specifies the eligibility to become an elector. Only Indian citizens, above 18 years and ordinary residents in that constituency, are eligible to be registered as an elector,” it said.

The Election Commission said it has uploaded the 2003 electoral roll of Bihar comprising details of 4.96 crore electors, on its website. Bihar is scheduled to go for assembly polls later this year.

The poll panel said the 2003 electoral roll can be used by those in the 2003 list as documentary evidence while submitting their enumeration form.

It also said that the ease of availability of 2003 electoral rolls of Bihar – published after the last intensive review – would hugely facilitate the ongoing special intensive revision in the state as now nearly 60 per cent of the total electorate would not have to submit any documents.

They have to just verify their details from the 2003 electoral rolls and submit the filled-up enumeration form. Both the electors as well as the booth level officers (BLOs) would be able to readily access these details.

It noted that anyone whose name is not in the 2003 Bihar electoral roll can still use the extract of 2003 electoral roll rather than providing any other documents for his/her mother or father. In such cases, no other document would be required for his/her mother or father. Only the relevant extract/details of the 2003 Electoral Roll would be sufficient.

Such electors would have to submit the documents only for themselves along with the filled-up enumeration form.

EC asserted that before every election, revision of electoral roll is mandatory according to the Representation of People Act 1950 and Rule 25 of the Registration of Elector Rules 1960. EC has been conducting annual revisions, intensive as well as summary revision for 75 years now.

Opposition parties are up in arms against the special intensive revision, claiming it is more dangerous than the National Register of Citizens (NRC). The Congress had said last week that the exercise carries a huge risk of willful exclusion of voters, using the power of the state machinery.

TMC MP Saket Gokhale, in a social media post on Sunday, questioned whether the Election Commission would formally announce if it was scrapping the “special intensive revision”.

Gokhale in a post on X stated: “Election Commission has been CAUGHT & EXPOSED. On Saturday, @AITCofficial did a press conference in Delhi about how the ECI is using the “special intensive revision” to delete voters & help the Modi Govt bring in the NRC through the back door. Within 24 hours of our presser: ECI allegedly makes a u-turn & says documents proving birth & birthplace NOT needed anymore” & just a self-declaration is sufficient.”

He questioned why is ECI was not saying this officially instead of through “sources” and if ECI was misleading people after the backlash & pressure from INDIA parties.