After Bihar, EC readies plan for pan-India launch of roll revision

No dates yet, but canvass sheet activates machinery | Move aft SC go-ahead

An authoritative collects forms during a survey astatine Nawada successful Bihar. ANI

The contention surrounding the ongoing peculiar intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls successful Bihar is expected to rage further arsenic the Election Commission (EC) is learnt to person activated its canvass machinery for a imaginable nationwide rollout of the exercise.

Oppn opposed to SIR

Opposition parties person been demanding that the EC shelve its program for a nationwide SIR, calling it ‘unconstitutional’. They assertion the workout could disenfranchise astir 2 crore voters retired of astir 4.9 crore voters registered aft 2003 successful Bihar.

The determination follows the Supreme Court’s caller reflection describing the SIR arsenic a “constitutional mandate” and allowing the canvass sheet to proceed the process successful Bihar. Several absorption parties and different petitioners had approached the apical court, arguing that intensive revision could “disenfranchise eligible voters”.

The improvement gains added value amid an ongoing crackdown successful assorted states connected amerciable overseas migrants, including those from Bangladesh and Myanmar.

Reports said immoderate of the authorities main electoral officers had started putting retired voters’ database published aft the past SIR successful their states. The past SIR volition service arsenic the cut-off day for the intensive revision successful the state. In Bihar, the 2003 electoral database is being utilized by the EC for the SIR. Most of  the states person carried retired the rotation revision betwixt 2002 and 2004. The website of the Delhi Chief Electoral Officer mentions the 2008 voters’ list, referring to the play erstwhile the past rotation revision had taken spot successful the nationalist capital. In Uttarakhand, the past SIR was conducted successful 2006 and that year’s electoral rotation is present connected the authorities CEO’s website.

Though quality agencies reported that the pan-India SIR could statesman from adjacent month, EC sources told The Tribune that nary specified day had been fixed yet.

While announcing the revision of electoral rolls successful Bihar, wherever the Assembly elections are scheduled astir October-November this year, the EC had said successful a connection issued connected June 24 that “it had decided to statesman the SIR successful the full country”. “As the Assembly elections successful Bihar are expected successful aboriginal portion of this year, the Election Commission has decided to behaviour the SIR successful the authorities arsenic per the guidelines.... The docket for the SIR successful the remainder of the state shall beryllium issued separately successful owed course,” the canvass sheet had said.

The Bihar SIR case, which is being heard by a Supreme Court Bench, volition present travel up for proceeding connected July 28. Bihar volition beryllium going to the polls this twelvemonth portion the Assembly elections successful Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal are scheduled successful 2026.