Kumar Bahukhandi
Gyanesh Kumar, Chief Election Commissioner – Photo: ANI
Bihar Polls 2025: Assembly elections in Bihar are likely to be held later this year. The Election Commission has assured that both the time limit and quality will be taken care of, and no eligible voter will be left out. At the same time, opposition parties have objected to this announcement just before the elections. The opposition says that they have objection not to its intention, but to the lack of time.
Patna: Amid ongoing discussions over the special revision of the voter list ahead of the upcoming assembly elections in Bihar, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar has clarified that the process will be completed on time and with full transparency. Addressing a training programme for booth level officers (BLOs) in Delhi, he said, “Special voter list revision (SIR) in Bihar is going on as per schedule. There is active participation of election workers and political parties in this. Despite the apprehensions of some people, this process will ensure that all eligible voters are added.”
Objection of opposition parties
Congress, RJD, CPI and other opposition parties have questioned the time frame, not the intention of this process. They say that only three to four months are left for the elections, and it will be challenging to correct the voter list in such a short period. This may affect the accuracy and inclusiveness of the final list.
The opposition says that this process is not limited to just correcting the list or adding the names of new voters, but it is necessary to go door-to-door and check, correct mistakes and add new names. This work will not be done properly in such a short time, due to which either many eligible voters may be left out or mistakes may occur.
Response of the Election Commission
CEC Gyanesh Kumar said that the process of the Commission is completely transparent and structured, and BLOs are being trained on the best processes of voter verification and name addition. The objective of the Election Commission is to include the names of as many eligible voters as possible in the list, so that no eligible citizen is deprived of voting. The Election Commission believes that this special revision process will make the voter list more accurate and updated before the Bihar Assembly elections.
Still the opposition is not satisfied
Opposition parties say that when elections are likely in October-November, making such a big amendment at this time can put a lot of burden on the system. This will neither ensure transparency nor will all eligible voters be included in the list.
