Bihar deploys 2.25 lakh staff for special intensive revision of electoral rolls

The process, to be carried out by 81,753 administrative personnel and 1,43,837 volunteers, involves conducting door-to-door surveys at the booth level.

The Bihar election office has mobilised 2,25,590 administrative staff and volunteers for a special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls to ensure voter list accuracy across all 38 districts in the poll-bound state, chief electoral officer (CEO) Vinod Singh Gunjiyal said on Monday.

Voters pose with enumeration forms in Bihar’s Patna. (Santosh Kumar/ HT Photo)

The process, to be carried out by 81,753 administrative personnel and 1,43,837 volunteers, involves conducting door-to-door surveys at the booth level.

Gunjiyal said booth level officers (BLOs) have been trained under district election officers to oversee the distribution and collection of counting forms. Volunteers will assist BLOs in filling these forms, with supervisors and sector officers monitoring the process. “We urge citizens to cooperate with BLOs and volunteers to make this campaign a success,” Gunjiyal said.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has ordered the deployment of 20,603 additional polling booth officials, along with 77,895 existing ones, to manage new polling stations in Bihar. Over 1.5 lakh booth level agents (BLAs) appointed by political parties are actively verifying voter lists to ensure accuracy.

Voters can access updates on the SIR campaign through the CEO’s social media handles on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, or contact toll-free helpline number 1950 for assistance.

The poll body is carrying out the SRI in Bihar despite strong opposition from parties such as the Congress, Rashtriya Janata Dal, Trinamool Congress, and AIMIM, who have alleged that the SIR in Bihar risks disenfranchising voters and resembles a ‘backdoor NRC’.

The SIR, launched on June 25, 2025, involves administrative staff and volunteers conducting door-to-door surveys to verify 78.9 million electors, with 29.3 million required to submit citizenship proof.

Critics, including Congress leader Digvijaya Singh, said the rushed timeline and documentation demands could lead to marginalised groups being excluded, as opposition parties plan to challenge the SIR in the Supreme Court claiming electoral manipulation.