Election Commission Defends Bihar Voter Roll Revision Amid Court Challenges

The Election Commission defends the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Bihar's electoral rolls as justifiable amid multiple legal challenges. Senior advocate Rakesh Dwivedi calls for pleas against the revision to be dismissed, highlighting the commission's statutory powers and transparency in its execution.

The Election Commission of India has staunchly defended its decision to revise Bihar's electoral rolls under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process, describing the move as 'fair, just, and reasonable'. On Thursday, the commission filed an appeal with the Supreme Court to dismiss the challenges lodged against the exercise.

Senior advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, representing the commission, argued that the SIR exercise was a lawful act conducted under the Election Commission's statutory powers. He stated that none of the 66 lakh individuals, whose names were deleted in the process, contested the revision in courts or through the commission.

Dwivedi emphasized the necessity of the revision due to significant demographic changes in Bihar, including urbanization and population shifts. He contended that deviations from routine revision protocols shouldn't render the exercise invalid, while emphasizing the transparency of the exercise, which involved sending over five crore SMS alerts to voters and house-to-house verifications by Booth Level Agents.

(With inputs from agencies.)