New Delhi, August 5:
The Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) on Tuesday filed an application in the Supreme Court, urging the Election Commission of India (ECI) to disclose details of nearly 65 lakh voters whose names were omitted from the recently published draft electoral rolls in Bihar under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.
The plea requests the ECI to publish constituency- and booth-wise lists of voters whose names were excluded, along with specific reasons such as death, permanent migration, duplication, or untraceability. It also demands disclosure of enumeration forms not submitted or “not recommended” by Booth Level Officers (BLOs), facilitating greater transparency for political parties and citizens.
The application refers to the ECI’s July 25 statement, which acknowledged that 65 lakh names were marked for deletion. According to ADR, this includes nearly 22 lakh deceased voters, 35 lakh who have migrated or are untraceable, around 7 lakh registered in multiple places, and 1.2 lakh whose forms are yet to be received.
ADR contends that the poll body’s failure to release specific details behind each deletion undermines public scrutiny. “This appears to be an attempt to prevent the general public, including the petitioners, from verifying whether the individuals listed are indeed deceased or have permanently migrated,” the application argues.
Meanwhile, Bihar election officials have dismissed allegations of mass disenfranchisement. Contrary to claims by opposition parties, no formal objections have been filed by any political outfit since the draft rolls were released on August 1.
The enumeration phase of the SIR, conducted from June 24 to July 25, recorded enumeration forms from over 7.24 crore voters out of the state’s 7.89 crore total electorate, ECI sources said. The final list will follow after public claims and objections are reviewed.
