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Bihar CEO says no voter appeal filed in SIR
Bihar's Chief Electoral Officer reports zero appeals under Section 24(A) ahead of Supreme Court hearing, affirming transparent electoral revision process.
The Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Bihar has said that no appeals had been filed under Section 24(A) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 in any of the state’s 243 Assembly constituencies.
The announcement, posted on X on Tuesday evening, stated, “As per reports received from all districts, there are zero appeals under Section 24(A) till date.” The disclosure came just ahead of Thursday’s hearing, where the Supreme Court declined to interfere with the revision process and directed that voters who claim to have been excluded be assisted by the Bihar State Legal Services Authority in filing appeals. The next hearing has been scheduled for October 16.
Election Commission officials said the CEO’s post was meant to underline that no elector had formally challenged the revision before local authorities. “The opposition is trying to spread a false narrative regarding SIR but this data shows the truth. If voters had an issue, appeals would have been made but there are 0 appeals till date,” a senior EC official told HT. “The process was transparent and voters were well informed about their rights,” the official said.
The Commission has maintained that the SIR was conducted strictly in accordance with the Representation of the People Act and related rules, with deletions based only on verified grounds such as duplication, migration, or death, and new additions comprising mostly first-time voters.
After the SC hearing on Thursday, the Commission offcials said that theyviewed the developments as vindication of its position. “Another conspiracy to defame ECI foiled. Today, fake affidavit of Advocate Prashant Bhushan was caught in the Supreme Court,” an official said.
The EC has said it will continue to address residual claims and objections until the statutory deadline, with the revised rolls likely to form the base list for the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections.
