Patna, July 5 -- Union Minister Chirag Paswan on Saturday defended the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls being undertaken in Bihar, urging political stakeholders not to view the exercise through a partisan lens.

He described the process as a routine yet crucial measure to ensure the accuracy and integrity of voter data.

"Don't make this just a political issue. This is a process of sanitisation which has been followed from time to time. It is important to follow it," Paswan said, emphasising that the exercise is aimed at maintaining a clean and credible electoral system.

Paswan noted that the names of deceased individuals and non-local residents often appear in voter rolls.

"It has been seen many a time that slips are...