The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Monday released a list of 6.5 million voters whose names were removed from the draft voter list after the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Bihar. Officials stated that this action was taken in compliance with the Supreme Court's directives. The Supreme Court, in an interim order on 14 August, instructed the ECI to publicly release booth-wise lists of voters whose names were not included in the draft voter list released on 1 August by 19 August. Furthermore, the commission was required to submit a detailed report by 22 August.
The commission clarified that the names removed from the draft voter list fall under the ASD (Absentee, Shifted, Dead) category. This includes deceased voters, voters who have relocated, those who are absent, or those with duplicate registrations. The Supreme Court explicitly mandated that the reason for removal be recorded and made public alongside each name.
According to the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Bihar, booth-level ASD lists have been displayed in several districts, including Rohtas, Begusarai, and Arwal. The Election Commission is also preparing to make these lists available online to ensure transparency. This step is considered crucial ahead of the upcoming assembly elections in Bihar. The Supreme Court has stated that the process of removing names from the voter list must be transparent and accountable to ensure that the rights of any eligible voter are not affected.
Experts believe that removing the names of 6.5 million voters is a significant step and will strengthen transparency in the electoral process. However, all eyes are now on 22 August, when the commission will submit its final report to the Supreme Court.
