'Lawful' to conduct electoral revisions before polls, demands to postpone it 'unjustified': CEC Gyanesh Kumar

Patna (Bihar) [India], October 5 (ANI): Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar on Sunday defended the decision of the Election Commission of India to conduct the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list ahead of the Bihar assembly elections, asserting that for someone to say that the revision should be conducted after the elections is "unjustified".
The Chief Election Commissioner clarified that conducting the SIR is both legal and mandated under the Representation of the People Act.
"Regarding the decision to conduct the Special Intensive Revision before the elections, if you go by the Representation of the People Act, it is legal for the Election Commission to conduct the revision before every election and is required to do so under the law. For someone to say that the revision should be conducted after the elections is unjustified," Kumar said while addressing a press conference in Patna.
The CEC stated that if anyone has a complaint regarding the addition or deletion of voters' names through 'SIR', they can appeal to the District Magistrate (DM).

"Approximately 65 lakh names were deleted earlier, and now 3.66 lakh names have been deleted, which are of ineligible voters... If anyone has any complaint, they can appeal to the District Magistrate. As far as their lists are concerned, you all must have seen them. At the District Collector level, that list has been given to the District Presidents of every political party," Kumar added.
The CEC asserted that if any person or any political party has any concerns that "any eligible voter has been left out" or that the name of an ineligible voter is on the voter list, then they can still file their "claims and objections".
"There is still time until ten days before the last date of nomination. If any person or any political party has any concerns that any eligible voter has been left out or that the name of an ineligible voter is on the voter list, they can file their claims and objections. The claims and objections received will be resolved at the ERO level. After the nomination process is over, the list is frozen until the election is over. There is still time left," the CEC added.
Kumar also emphasised the need for "mock polls" to ensure absolute transparency in the poll process.
"Mock polls are essential to ensure transparency. I would like to urge all candidates contesting the upcoming Bihar elections to nominate their polling agents at their polling booths. Your polling agents should arrive before voting begins, witness the mock poll in person, and then collect their Form 17C from the presiding officer in the same manner after voting is complete," Kumar asserted.
The CEC further informed that Bihar is a state where over 160,000 Booth Level Agents (BLAs) have been nominated by political parties.
"People who don't own their own homes, or who haven't been assigned a house number by the Panchayat or Municipality, either provide the number of a nearby house or sometimes write a zero. So, there's no need to worry about this. When the Booth Level Officer takes any person's enumeration form, Booth Level Agents from every political party are present to file claims and objections. I'm happy to inform you that Bihar is a state where over 160,000 Booth Level Agents have been nominated by political parties," he further added.
Reacting to the conduct of the Bihar election in phases, the CEC said that the poll body "would soon decide on this matter".
"We've heard the views of the political parties. Each has its pros and cons, and the Election Commission will soon take a decision on this matter," Kumar added.
The CEC also informed that the poll panel has implemented 17 new initiatives for the upcoming election across the state.
"17 new initiatives have been successfully implemented in Bihar; some will be implemented in the conduct of elections, and some in counting. Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) are responsible for preparing the voter list. In Bihar, there is an ERO in each of the 243 assembly constituencies. Together, they, along with 243 EROs and 90,207 BLOs, completed the task of cleansing the voter list after nearly 22 years," he added.
Kumar also appealed to all voters to treat voting as a festival of democracy, just like the enthusiasm shown during Chhath, and ensure full participation at the polls.
The Election Commission officials were on a two-day review visit to the state. (ANI)