In a webinar organised by ADR, ex-Chief Election Commissioner OP Rawat expressed concerns over the rushed Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Bihar's voter list, questioning its execution amid political backlash and legal challenges.

Former Chief Election Commissioner OP Rawat said on Thursday that the only constraint with the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list underway in poll-bound Bihar is time. Rawat also raised questions about how the Election Commission of India is conducting the exercise.

"The only constraint with Special Intensive Revision (SIR) is time. They (Election Commission) will not have adequate time for appeal and disposal because the Bihar elections have to be completed before 22 November," Rawat said speaking during a webinar – “Special Intensive Revision of the Electoral Rolls: Enhancing the purity of electoral rolls or disenfranchising the electorate?” – organised by election watchdog Association for Democratic Reforms(ADR).

“The exercise will be completed before the end of September, so there is no panic. That is the real cause of concern,” Rawat said.

The Election Commission’s SIR of electoral rolls has triggered a political storm, with the opposition Congress dubbing it ‘a rigging attempt’ orchestrated by the poll panel under instructions from the ruling regime.

Since the start of this year's monsoon session, the opposition has been protesting in the Parliament, demanding a discussion over the Bihar SIR.

At least half a dozen petitions by political parties, individuals and civil society groups, including the ADR, have been filed in the Supreme Court against what they call a ‘blatantly unconstitutional’ exercise.

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court asked the Election Commission to file its response by 9 August on a fresh application of an NGO seeking disclosure of data of 65 lakh voters who were not included in the Bihar draft electoral roll after the SIR drive.

‘Citizenship is a subject of the Home Ministry’

Earlier on 7 August, the Election Commission said that no political party had submitted a single claim or objection regarding the draft electoral rolls in Bihar.

The Election Commission has asserted that no eligible elector will be left out and no ineligible elector will be included in Bihar's final electoral roll.

“Secondly, the issue of empowerment of the Election Commission. It is mandated, and so they are empowered. However, for investigating citizenship, there has been the 1995 Supreme Court ruling when they raised a finger on this and said citizenship is a subject of the Home Ministry and it is empowered to investigate and decide citizenship,” Rawat said.

The poll panel defended its authority to seek proof of citizenship during the SC hearing to revise the voter list.

Rawat, who was CEC from 23 January 2018 to 1 December 2018, also asked if the way the SIR is being conducted is the right way.

‘No need for this kind of exercise’

"I do not think so because if illegal or dead voters are there, EC has been undertaking this exercise. They have paraphernalia in their armour, such as ERONET. Any name that is duplicated anywhere in the country will appear on the screen, and you can easily identify such duplicate entries.

There was no need for this kind of exercise in this manner to remove permanently shifted voters, dead voters etc, he said.

The Election Commission has maintained that no name can be deleted from the draft list published on 1 August, without passing a speaking order by the ERO/AERO after conducting an enquiry and after giving a fair and reasonable opportunity.