Push for Electoral Roll Deadline Extension in Bihar

The Supreme Court is set to hear urgent pleas from the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) on September 1, regarding an extension for filing claims and objections in the critical revision of the electoral rolls in Bihar, which is preparing for upcoming elections.

The requests, presented by advocate Prashant Bhushan and senior advocate Shoeb Alam, cite a significant surge in the number of claims, with a rise from 80,000 to 95,000 in recent weeks. They argue that the current September 1 deadline is insufficient to accommodate the escalating submissions.

The court questioned why petitioners have not sought relief from the Election Commission, which has yet to respond to the parties' requests. The ongoing revision, the first since 2003, has already stirred political controversy, reducing the registered voter count from 7.9 crore to 7.24 crore in Bihar.

(With inputs from agencies.)