EC tells SC deadline extension in Bihar SIR will disrupt electoral roll finalisation

By A Staff Reporter

The Election Commission of India (ECI) informed the Supreme Court on Monday that any extension of the September 1 deadline for filing claims and objections in Bihar’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise would disrupt the schedule for finalising the state’s electoral rolls.

In its submission, the poll body said it is already undertaking a continuing exercise of issuing notices within seven days to electors whose documents are found incomplete. The ECI emphasised that the process was being carried out in strict adherence to prescribed timelines to ensure accuracy in the electoral rolls.

Responding to claims by the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), the Commission clarified that the party’s assertion of filing 36 claims was incorrect, stating that only 10 claims had actually been submitted.

The Commission further highlighted that 99.5 percent of the 2.74 crore electors included in the draft rolls had already filed their eligibility documents. This, it argued, demonstrated both high compliance and the robustness of the ongoing verification process.