Patna: As Bihar moves closer to its Assembly elections, the ongoing voter list revision has successfully verified over 7 crore voters, representing 89.7 percent of the state’s total 7.90 crore electorate. However, a significant challenge remains: the verification forms for 45.82 lakh voters (5.8 percent) are yet to be received, and crucially, 35.69 lakh voters remain untraceable by Booth Level Officers (BLOs) at their registered addresses.
The Election Commission has stated that these untraceable voters could not be found at their given addresses despite BLOs attempting contact three times through door-to-door visits. Information regarding these unverified voters has now been shared with Booth Level Agents (BLAs) and District Presidents of various political parties.
Purging the Rolls: Deceased, Shifted, and Duplicate Entries
The intensive door-to-door verification process in Bihar will continue for another eight days, after which the draft of the new voter list will be released. A key objective of this revision is to cleanse the electoral rolls by removing the names of deceased individuals, those who have permanently moved out of Bihar, and voters registered at multiple locations.
According to the Election Commission, approximately 35 lakh voters fall into these categories so far. This includes 12.53 lakh deceased voters, 17.37 lakh who have shifted outside the state, and 5.76 lakh voters with duplicate registrations. The process aims to ensure the accuracy and integrity of the voter list.
Online Options for Temporarily Absent Voters
The Election Commission has provided a recourse for families or individuals who are temporarily out of Bihar but wish to ensure their inclusion in the voter list. Such individuals can visit the Election Commission website to fill out the online counting form. Alternatively, they can contact their respective BLOs and send the filled form via phone or WhatsApp. This flexibility aims to accommodate those who might be away for work or other reasons but still eligible to vote.
