New Delhi, Aug 2 (NationPress) The Election Commission of India (ECI) has initiated a month-long voter verification campaign in Bihar, starting this Saturday, in response to the release of the draft electoral roll as part of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.

This campaign is designed to enable citizens to confirm their names and submit objections or claims, running until September 1. Special voter assistance camps will be established throughout the state at Block-cum-Anchal offices and in urban areas, including Nagar Panchayats, Nagar Parishads, and Municipal Corporation zones.

The recently released draft electoral roll indicates a noticeable decrease in registered voters in Bihar, dropping by over 65 lakh compared to the prior list. This significant decline has sparked political discussions and legal inquiries.

The ECI has reported that most of the deletions were due to reasons like death, duplicate registrations across different constituencies, permanent migration out of Bihar, or the untraceability of voters during the door-to-door verification conducted in the initial phase of the SIR.

In a public appeal, the ECI has urged all eligible voters to verify their names on the draft list, now accessible on the official ECI portal. If a voter's name is absent, they must submit Form 6 along with a declaration form, per the SIR guidelines.

While the ECI insists that this exercise aims to purify electoral rolls and guarantee fair elections, opposition parties have expressed serious concerns.

They have claimed that the Commission is covertly attempting to implement the National Register of Citizens (NRC) through this revision, referring to it as a “backdoor NRC.” Several political parties have approached the Supreme Court, demanding transparency and safeguards in the process.

The apex court, during the hearing, suggested that the ECI consider Aadhaar and Voter ID cards as valid identity proof during the verification process. The next hearing is set for August 12.