Over 21 Lakh Census Forms Pending in Bihar: ECI

Speedy Summary

• The Election Commission of India (ECI) announced that enumeration forms of 21.36 lakh electors are still pending submission in Bihar under the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) for Electoral Rolls.
• Out of a total 7.89 crore registered voters in Bihar, forms have been received from 7.16 crore electors.
• Key statistics:

– 52.30 lakh voters were not found at listed addresses.
– Likely deceased individuals: 18.66 lakh; multiple registrations: 7.50 lakh; permanently shifted voters: 26.01 lakh; could not be traced: 11,484.

• July 25 is the deadline for submitting enumeration forms before draft rolls are published on August 1, followed by public scrutiny until september 1.
• Nearly one lakh booth Level Officers (BLOs), four lakh volunteers, and over one lakh agents representing major political parties are actively tracing missing or unverified records to ensure all eligible voters are included in the rolls.

Image caption:
Nawada BLO conducting door-to-door distribution and collection of electoral revision forms ahead of Assembly Elections in bihar.

Indian Opinion Analysis

The Special Intensive Revision highlights ECI’s commitment to maintaining robust electoral records ahead of Bihar’s Assembly elections-an essential step for democratic integrity in a populous state like Bihar with nearly eight crore registered electors. However,logistical challenges such as tracing relocated or deceased voters emphasize vulnerabilities inherent in managing extensive voter data across rural and urban constituencies.

The effort aligns with India’s broader push toward clear elections but underscores unresolved issues like manual inaccuracies and dual enrollments-a problem requiring systemic improvements as seen through discrepancies involving millions of entries flagged by BLOs and volunteers during this process.

While intensive measures like collaboration with political agents can strengthen trust between stakeholders, ensuring inclusive participation depends on resolving issues flagged during scrutiny phases set for August-September without bias or politicization.

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