2L file objections seeking their names struck off Bihar poll rolls

NEW DELHI: The over 2-lakh objections seeking the exclusion of 'ineligible' electors from Bihar's draft electoral roll, received till 3 pm Sunday, are essentially on behalf of those who had filled and submitted their enumeration forms as part of 'SIR' while already registered as a voter in a different polling booth, constituency or state, EC sources have said.

After EC started serving notices to the likes of Muzaffarpur mayor and her relatives as well as to CPI(ML) Liberation MP Sudama Prasad's wife for maintaining two voter IDs, people who were listed on the draft roll based on enumeration forms signed by them but were simultaneously enrolled at their place of usual residence elsewhere, found it prudent to get their names struck off the roll, a commission official told TOI.

Every enumeration form under SIR requires an elector to make a signed declaration that their name is not included in the roll of any other assembly or parliamentary constituency and the elector is aware that a false declaration is punishable under section 31 of Representation of the People Act, 1951, with imprisonment for a term which may extend to one year. "The objections seeking exclusion from Bihar draft roll may have been prompted by fear of penal action under sect 31 for falsely claiming no prior enrolment as an elector," said an official.

Significantly, the claims received from electors for inclusion in electoral roll number just 33,326, which is barely 16% of the objections seeking exclusion from the roll.

Even at the level of political parties, the objections filed by their booth level agents (BLAs) seeking exclusion of ineligible electors (103) are more than four times the claims for 'inclusion' of eligible electors left out from the draft roll.

Over 15.3 lakh enrolment applications had been received from newly eligible electors until 3 pm on Aug 31. With a nine-month gap between the last revision and SIR and the usual 2% addition of new voters every year, a figure of 12 lakh new additions on account of citizens attaining 18 years of age is normal. "The remaining 3.3 lakh additions may be of electors who were never enrolled, despite being of eligible age," said an official. Around 3 lakh electors have been served notices over discrepancies in their documents - which put into doubt their eligibility under Article 326 of the Constitution that requires an elector to be at least 18 years of age and a citizen of India.