Deletions, deadlines, doubts: Second leg of Bihar’s poll roll drive throws up stark choices

The SIR was announced in June and commenced on July 1, when BLOs went door-to-door to physically verify the identity of each elector

Under a pewter sky, Mintu Devi is hurrying back home. Charcoal-edged clouds are starting to give way to clots of darkness. In her village of Khak Maksudpur in Bihar’s Gopalganj district, this is a warning. Near the horizon, the greys still soften into a faint wash of silver-blue and the river is mellow. But once the ochre hue dissolves, the Gandak river will rage.

A special ECI camp in Patna to process claims and objections. (HT Photo)

This village – one of hundreds located in sandy riverine islands that flood with alarming regularity