Pure electoral rolls key to strengthening democracy: CEC Gyanesh Kumar

New Delhi, July 9 (IANS) Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar on Wednesday emphasized the importance of clean and accurate electoral rolls for the health of Indian democracy, while commending the enthusiastic participation of voters in Bihar in the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

"The Election Commission of India was, is, and will always be with the electors of India," said CEC Gyanesh Kumar, expressing satisfaction over the progress made so far in the Bihar SIR exercise.

With 16 days still remaining in the revision process, Bihar has already recorded the collection of over 57.48 per cent of Enumeration Forms -- an encouraging sign of civic engagement.

According to the ECI, as of 6 p.m. on July 9, a total of 4,53,89,881 Enumeration Forms had been collected, out of the total 7,89,69,844 (approximately 7.90 crore) existing electors in the state.

In the last 24 hours alone, 83,12,804 forms -- amounting to 10.52% -- were collected, indicating strong field activity and cooperation from voters and officials alike.

CEC Kumar credited the proactive participation of voters, relentless fieldwork by election officials and volunteers, and the efforts of 1.56 lakh Booth Level Agents (BLAs) appointed by recognised political parties for this mammoth exercise.

Maintaining the current momentum, the Commission believes the form collection drive can be completed well before the stipulated deadline of July 25.

Under Para 3(d) of the SIR guidelines, existing electors -- including those temporarily migrated as per Section 20(1A) of the Representation of the People Act, 1950 -- can download pre-filled Enumeration Forms from https://voters.eci.gov.in. These forms can be printed, signed, and submitted to the Booth Level Officer (BLO) through family members or via digital means such as WhatsApp or similar apps.

Since the launch of the SIR drive on June 24, nearly 7.90 crore forms were printed, and over 98 per cent (around 7.71 crore) have already been distributed to electors across the state.

--IANS

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