Over 11,000 untraceable voters with Indian IDs: ECI’s SIR in Bihar exposes suspected infiltration by illegal immigrants, including Bangladeshis and Rohingyas
The Election Commission of India’s (ECI) Special Intensive Revision (SIR) initiative in Bihar has uncovered a startling finding. 11,000 voters are found to be entirely “not traceable” in this drive aimed at cleaning the voter list. There were no residences at their provided addresses and neighbors had no information regarding their existence.
As per The Times of India, an ECI official pointed out that these 11,000 individuals might be Bangladeshi and Rohingya infiltrators who have successfully obtained bogus voter cards in Bihar while staying in nearby states. This sensational discovery could potentially create ripples in the state’s politics as these persons are reportedly conspiring to disrupt the electoral process through fraudulent voting.
According to the Election Commission of India (ECI), these irregularities arose from negligence or corruption during the previous review, which allowed unauthorized individuals to be included in the voter list. In some cases, there was no house at the given address and even neighbors were unaware of these people.
The goal of the initiative is to thoroughly cleanse the voter list of Bihar and ensure that only eligible Indian citizens can participate in elections. Booth Level Officers (BLOs) have conducted door-to-door verification on three occasions to facilitate the same. Verification has been completed for 95.92% of the 7.90 crore voters, however, 41.64 lakh voters could not be located at their addresses.
Among these, 14.29 lakh were found to possibly be deceased, 19.74 lakh had permanently relocated and 7.50 lakh individuals were registered at multiple locations. Notably, 11,000 voters were classified as “non-traceable.” On the other hand, 7.15 crore forms have been submitted owing to the campaign to date, out of which 6.96 crore have been digitized.
The deadline for form submission is set for 25th July and the draft voter list is scheduled for release on 1st August. Afterward, claims and objections will be accepted from 1st to 30th August with the final list to be published on 30th September. The ECI has clarified that any names that are mistakenly included or omitted can be amended by 30th August.
1 lakh BLOs, 4 lakh volunteers, and 1.5 lakh booth level agents are tirelessly working to carry out the process. The ECI asserted that every possible measure is being taken to ensure that no eligible voter is overlooked. However, the campaign has also ignited a political uproar.
The opposition I.N.D.I. Alliance has labeled it a “vote ban” and a ploy to favor the National Democratic Alliance. However, the Supreme Court is currently reviewing the case and has instructed the ECI to perform a comprehensive examination of documents including Aadhaar cards, ration cards and voter IDs.
Meanwhile, another startling disclosure emerged from the SIR drive. BLOs apprehended foreign nationals from Nepal, Bangladesh and Myanmar possessing Indian documents such as Aadhaar, ration cards and domicile certificates. The revelation has prompted inquiries concerning how they obtained the documents.
The Election Commission of India announced that a profound investigation will take place from 1st to 30th August and any individuals identified as illegals will be excluded from the final voter list. Its significance has increased in light of the upcoming assembly elections in Bihar scheduled for October-November, particularly as the issue of fake voting has now been exposed.
Read the report in Hindi here.
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