Bihar electoral rolls being revised under Art 326: EC

Amid criticism and allegations by the Opposition of bringing the NRC through backdoor in the garb of special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls being conducted in the poll-bound Bihar, the Election Commission (EC) on Sunday clarified that the exercise was being done as mandated by the Constitution under Article 326.

“The Constitution of India is supreme. All citizens, political parties and the EC follow the Constitution. The SIR has begun in Bihar for verifying the eligibility of each elector with full participation of everyone,” said the EC.

A source said those questioning the move is akin to questioning Article 326 and anyone opposing SIR is also opposing Article 326 and should therefore clear his or her stand. The EC sources pointed out that it would strictly implement Article 326 during SIR and political parties and other persons were also supposed to follow Article 326 in letter and spirit.

Meanwhile, after the Opposition created a brouhaha, the EC clarified that for those whose names are already in the 2003 electoral rolls held in Bihar, they have to just verify their names in the electoral rolls and fill the enumeration form, without submitting any document as proof of address or birth.

According to the instructions issued by the poll authority, 4.96 crore voters — 60 per cent of the total electors — who were listed in the 2003 special intensive revision need not submit any supporting document to establish their date or place or birth except the relevant portion of the electoral roll brought out after the revision. The other three crore — nearly 40 per cent — will have to provide one of the 11 listed documents to establish their place or date of birth. Here, too, the voters whose parents have been named in the 2003 voters’ list, will have to only give documents about their place/date of birth.

They will not have to give documents regarding the place/date of birth of their parents as their entry in the 2003 list will be considered as proof, underlined an official.

The EC said it would soon upload the 2003 Bihar electoral roll on its website to facilitate the nearly 4.96 crore voters whose names figure on it extract the relevant portion to be attached with the enumeration form for the special intensive revision of the voters’ list.The EC said they had asked political parties to appoint their workers as booth level agents.

India