EC defends electoral roll revision in Bihar
The ECI is revising Bihar's electoral roll in phases, set to conclude on September 30, amid concerns of disenfranchisement raised by opposition parties.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Thursday issued a comprehensive note detailing the special intensive revision (SIR) of the electoral roll in poll-bound Bihar, saying it is being carried out in a planned, structured and phased manner.
The final electoral roll is scheduled to be published on September 30.
According to ECI, the special drive will cover nearly 79 million electors across the state in five phases. The process involves 77,895 booth-level officers (BLOs), with an additional 20,603 being recruited, and 154,000 booth-level agents (BLAs) appointed by recognised political parties.
The first phase, which ran from June 25 to July 3, involved the distribution of Enumeration Forms (EFs) to electors listed on the electoral roll as of June 24. “BLOs are delivering the EFs door-to-door to all the 7.90 crore electors whose names are on the Electoral Roll as on 24.06.2025. In addition, the forms are available for download on the ECI portal and the BLAs appointed by political parties may also submit up to 50 certified forms per day,” the ECI said.
The second phase focuses on assisting electors in filling out and submitting their forms by July 25. “Nearly 4 lakh volunteers, which include government officials, NCC cadets, NSS, etc., have been deployed to make the process seamless for the voters and help the old, sick, persons with disabilities (PwD), poor and other vulnerable groups,” ECI said.
The third phase, which overlaps with the first two, runs from June 25 to July 26 and focuses on collecting completed EFs and uploading data onto ECI’s unified portal. The option to submit EFs online became available on July 3.
The fourth phase will see the publication of the draft electoral roll on August 1. The draft roll will exclude names for which EFs were not submitted before July 25. “Electors who miss the initial deadline can still apply during the claims and objections period using Form 6 (application form for new voters), along with a declaration form. BLAs can continue to submit up to 10 forms per day even after the draft roll is published,” ECI clarified.
The fifth and final phase will allow claims and objections to be submitted from August 1 to September 1. “No deletion will be made without due inquiry and providing the concerned person a fair hearing. Daily lists of claims and objections will be displayed at the ERO offices and published on the Chief Electoral Officer’s website. Weekly updates will also be shared with political parties. The final ER will be prepared after disposing of claims and objections,” ECI stated, reaffirming that the final list will be published on September 30.
The ECI further noted that appeals against decisions of the ERO can be filed within 15 days, with a provision for further appeal to the Chief Electoral Officer within 30 days of the order.
The decision to hold SIR for Bihar — which is set to go to the polls later this year — was announced on June 24, sparking a controversy. The drive, which was last conducted in 2003, will later be conducted for the whole country.
The need for the revision, according to ECI, stems from rapid urbanisation, frequent migration, a surge in first-time voters, non-reporting of deaths and concerns about “foreign illegal immigrant”.
However, opposition parties allege the exercise is designed to disrupt the level playing field ahead of assembly elections. On Wednesday, representatives from 11 political parties met chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi.
Congress leader and Rajya Sabha member Abhishek Manu Singhvi said, “Unless you are on the electoral roll of 2003, all others have to produce a birth certificate. In one category, you have to produce the birth certificates of your father and mother. Now, how do you expect a very diverse profile of Bihar voters – backward, flood-affected, poor, SC, ST, unempowered, migrants – to run from pillar to post to get the birth certificate of their father or mother.” He added that an “upwards of 2.5 crore persons, the minimum figure of 2 crore people, may be disenfranchised by this exercise”.
“The SIR exercise is being conducted in a planned, structured and phased manner to facilitate the inclusion of all eligible citizens,” the ECI told the political parties’ representatives on Wednesday.
Under ECI’s directive, electors listed in the 2003 electoral roll must submit EFs along with an extract of the roll. Those not listed must submit one document from an approved list released on June 24, including a passport, birth certificate or educational certificate. “Individuals born before July 1, 1987, need to provide a document for themselves. Those born between July 1, 1987 and December 2, 2004, to include documents for themselves and one parent. Individuals born after December 2, 2004, are to submit documents for themselves and both parents,” the release added.
Electors whose parents are listed in the 2003 roll do not need to submit any additional parental documents.
