If the SIR has cleaned up the rolls of duplicate and ineligible entries, it may be said to have served its purpose to an extent

xThe turnout in the first phase of the Bihar assembly polls for 121 seats of 243 seats, at around 64.66 per cent, was the highest in any polls in the state since 2010. Close to 10 per cent more voters turned up at poll booths in these constituencies than in the Lok Sabha polls held last year.

Amazing as the statistics are, what makes them more intriguing is that the percentages are up substantially since the Special Intensive Revision exercise deleted around 15.3 lakh voters, around four per cent, in those 121 seats. Given the fact that the lists of those who voted or did not vote are never released, it is hard to find out how this greater awareness of the need

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