Poll Body Eases Voter List Rules In Bihar, Documents Can Be Given Later

Amid growing criticism of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, the Bihar Chief Electoral Office issued a public notice through newspaper ads on Sunday.

The ad, reportedly published on the front pages of all major local newspapers in Bihar, urged voters to promptly fill the enumeration form provided by the Booth Level Officer (BLO) and submit it along with a photograph and required documents.

However, it clarified that if the documents and photo are not available, voters should still fill out the form and hand it over to the BLO.

Interestingly, common IDs like Aadhaar card, PAN card, MGNREGA job card, voter ID, driving licence, and bank passbook are not accepted for the SIR process.

Instead, only 11 types of documents are considered valid for the SIR process. These include birth certificates, passports, educational certificates, and permanent residence proofs.

Other acceptable documents are forest rights and caste certificates, the family register issued by state or local authorities and any documents provided by public authorities before 1967.

INDIA bloc leaders have slammed the SIR process as impractical and undemocratic, demanding that Aadhaar, ration, and MGNREGA cards be accepted for voter verification.