Patna: The Bihar government has sanctioned Rs 51.68 crore for a special voter list revision programme, a move that comes amid growing political tension and legal scrutiny over the timing and intent of the exercise.
The decision was taken during a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Tuesday, where 30 departmental proposals were approved. The funds will be allocated to the Election Department to cover the honorarium of personnel involved in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls ahead of the upcoming assembly elections.
According to the approved plan, each staff member involved in the process will receive Rs6,000. This includes 77,895 Booth Level Officers (BLOs) and 8,245 BLO supervisors tasked with overseeing the revision work.
The revision of the voter list has triggered political controversy across the state and at the national level. Opposition parties have accused the state and central governments of using the exercise as a pretext to introduce the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and disenfranchise marginalised voters. The Election Commission, however, has maintained that the revision aims solely to improve the accuracy and inclusivity of the electoral rolls.
The issue has reached the judiciary, with petitions filed in both the Patna High Court and the Supreme Court.
