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New Delhi, Nov 15 (IANS) After the Congress raised concerns over the discrepancy of nearly 300,000 voters in Bihar’s voter list data released before and after voting, the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Saturday issued a detailed clarification.
In a Facebook post, the Congress raised questions as to why Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, in an October 6 press note, gave the total number of voters in Bihar as 74.2 million, while the commission’s press release issued after the poll put the number at 74.5 million.
The party alleged lack of transparency and sought an explanation for the sudden increase.
Responding to the allegation, the ECI said the figure of 74.2 million voters quoted on October 6 reflected the data available after the last publication of the voter list on September 30.
This number was based on a special, intensive revision conducted before the election schedule was announced.
The Commission underlined that the voter list of September 30 is always considered as the baseline before the elections.
However, under the election rules, the Commission continued, any eligible citizen can apply for nomination up to 10 days before the last date of filing nomination for each election phase.
This window remains open even after the election has been declared, allowing new voters to submit claims to join.
Officials said that between October 1 and the cutoff period – 10 days before the nomination deadline for both the phases – the ECI received a large number of valid applications.
After scrutiny, the names of all eligible voters were added to ensure that no eligible citizen is deprived of the right to vote.
After including these applications, the total number of voters increased by approximately 300,000, bringing the final number to approximately 74.5 million.
The ECI insisted that this updated figure was correctly mentioned in the press release issued after the completion of voting.
The commission said the variation was procedural, lawful and in line with established electoral norms.
–IANS
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