THE SUPREME COURT TODAY ordered that persons excluded from the draft electoral rolls in Bihar during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (‘SIR’) can submit applications for inclusion online, without having to file physical forms, and directed 12 recognised political parties in the state to assist voters in the exercise.
A Bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi said that excluded individuals may apply online either on their own or with the help of booth-level agents (‘BLAs’) of the twelve recognised political parties. The Court formally impleaded all twelve recognised parties, directing them to mobilise their BLAs to facilitate the filing of applications in their respective booths.
Pointing out that Bihar has about 1.6 lakh BLAs belonging to all the political parties, the Bench noted: “If each agent helps fill just 10 forms a day, there would be 16 lakh applications for registration of excluded voters each day.”
It expressed surprise that despite such a vast network, only two objections had been filed so far, and took note of complaints that local officers were not acknowledging objections raised by BLAs of the political parties.
