SIR purified Bihar voter list after 22 years: CEC Gyanesh Kumar

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) of India, Gyanesh Kumar, expressed satisfaction over the completion of the SIR and termed it as an exercise to purify the voters' list. Addressing a press conference in Patna, he said the exercise has been carried out in Bihar after 22 years with the last intensive revision was conducted in 2003.

"We have an ERO (electoral registration officer) in each of the 243 constituencies. They were assisted by 90,207 BLOs in completing the exercise, which has purified the voters' list after 22 years," he said.

Accompanied by Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sindhu and Vivek Joshi, the CEC held discussions with political parties and reviewed poll preparedness with officials during his two-day visit to the state. Around 12 political parties met with the CEC and have demanded elections in maximum one or two phases.


The CEC explained several new initiatives and SOPs used for the first time during the Bihar elections. "Identity cards have been introduced for booth-level officials to better identify them when approaching voters. Mobile phones can be deposited in a room outside the booth. This process will be implemented throughout Bihar... There will be 100% webcasting at every polling station," he said.

In the ballot papers, the serial number font would be larger nationwide, and candidates' photographs would be in colour. The CEC however, didn't give a clear answer on the total number of deletions of foreign nationals from the voters' list.

The term of the current Bihar assembly is ending on November 22 and the CEC said that the election process would be completed before November 22.

Now that the review of the election preparation has been completed, the elections could be announced in one or two days. Sources told ET that the ECI announcement could come on Tuesday afternoon.