Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, Jul 12: Bihar’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll has achieved a major milestone, with over 80% of voters submitting their Enumeration Forms (EFs), the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced on Saturday.
As of 6 p.m., the number of submitted forms stood at a staggering 6.32 crore, covering 80.11% of the state’s electorate. “This means four out of every five voters have already responded. At this pace, we expect most forms to be collected well before the July 25 deadline,” said an ECI official.
The commission has already printed and nearly completed the distribution of EFs to all voters located at their registered addresses. In another key development, over 4.66 crore forms have been digitised and uploaded to ECINet, the ECI’s new all-in-one software platform that integrates 40 legacy applications.
In the current house-to-house phase of the drive, Booth Level Officers (BLOs) are assisting voters directly at their residences to fill and collect the forms. Supervisory oversight is being ensured by 38 District Returning Officers (DROs), 243 Electoral Registration Officers (EROs), and 963 Assistant EROs, covering all Assembly Constituencies in the state.
A massive deployment of over 77,000 BLOs, including 20,000 recently appointed officials, is driving the effort. Additionally, 1.56 lakh Booth Level Agents (BLAs) from recognised political parties and over 4 lakh trained volunteers are actively helping senior citizens, people with disabilities, and other vulnerable groups complete the process.
To ensure inclusion in the draft electoral roll, which will be published on August 1, voters must submit their EFs along with supporting eligibility documents. However, documents can still be submitted separately until August 30 — the final date for filing claims and objections. Volunteers are also available to assist voters with this step.
The ECI’s proactive approach, combined with strong grassroots coordination, appears to be paying off — setting the stage for one of the most comprehensive voter roll updates in Bihar’s electoral history.