Patna, August 13(HS): In a striking display of political and public engagement, the Special Summary Revision (SIR) 2025 for Bihar has recorded an overwhelming 1.60 lakh claims and objections from political parties alone, alongside tens of thousands of submissions from citizens and first-time voters — all within just 12 days of the draft roll’s publication.

Political Parties Flood the Process

Data from the Election Commission reveals that national and state political outfits have filed a combined 1,60,813 Booth Level Agent (BLA) reports seeking corrections, additions, or deletions in the voters’ list.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (53,338) and Rashtriya Janata Dal (47,506) lead the charge, followed by the Janata Dal (United) with 36,550 submissions. The Indian National Congress has contributed 17,549 cases, while other parties, both national and regional, have filed in smaller but significant numbers.

Notably, none of these have yet been disposed of, as statutory rules mandate a 7-day waiting period before scrutiny and orders are passed.

Public Steps In

Apart from political entities, 17,665 electors have directly approached the Commission to add eligible names or remove ineligible entries — 454 of which have already been addressed.

Youth Surge in Voter Enrolment

A wave of young democracy enthusiasts is also queuing up for their first ballot — 74,525 new voter applications have been filed by citizens attaining 18 years of age or above, including six routed via BLAs. No cases in this category have yet been processed.

Strict Safeguards in Place

As per SIR rules, no name can be removed from the draft roll (released August 1) without:

- A formal enquiry

- A detailed “speaking order” by the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO/AERO)

- Providing the elector a fair chance to respond

Officials emphasise that this is to ensure transparency, due process, and public trust ahead of Bihar’s upcoming polls.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar