The Election Commission of India (ECI) has reported a significant milestone in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar. As of today, documents from 98.2% of electors have been received. This comes with only eight days remaining in the Claims, Objections, and Documents period of the SIR.
The SIR is a comprehensive exercise undertaken by the ECI to revise and update the electoral rolls. This process involves house-to-house enumeration to prepare new electoral rolls. Enumerators visit each home to list eligible voters. The goal is to ensure that no eligible citizen is left out while simultaneously preventing ineligible individuals from being included in the electoral roll. The ECI typically undertakes this exercise when it deems the existing rolls to be inaccurate or in need of a complete overhaul, often preceding major elections or following administrative changes like constituency delimitation. The final electoral roll is scheduled to be released on September 30.
The SIR exercise in Bihar has not been without its controversies. Concerns were raised after a list of 65 lakh voters who were not included in the draft roll was published on August 1. Opposition parties alleged that genuine voters were being removed without proper verification and criticized the initial decision not to accept Aadhaar as a valid form of identification.
The Supreme Court intervened, directing the ECI to make the SIR process more voter-friendly. The Court ordered the ECI to allow voters to submit claims both physically and online. It also mandated that Aadhaar, or any one of eleven specified documents, be accepted as proof of identity for inclusion in the electoral roll. The eleven documents include: * Identity card/Pension Payment Order issued to regular employee/pensioner of Central/State Govt./PSU. * Identity card/Certificate/Document issued in India by Govt./local authorities/Banks/Post Office/LIC/PSUs before 01.07.1987. * Birth Certificate issued by competent authority. * Passport. * Matriculation/Educational certificate from recognised Boards/universities. * Permanent Residence certificate issued by competent State authority.
The Supreme Court also urged political parties to assist voters in filing claims. The ECI informed the court that approximately 85,000 excluded voters had already submitted their claim forms, and over 2 lakh new voters had registered under the SIR exercise.
The ECI has dismissed concerns about the timeline for the SIR, stating that adequate time has been allocated for the process. The current SIR has an enumeration period from June 25, 2025, to July 26, 2025. Verification of the documents received is currently underway, and over 3.28 lakh new electors have submitted their forms.
The special intensive revision in Bihar is the first since 2003. The revision has reduced the state's voter list from 7.9 crore to 7.24 crore. A similar SIR was carried out in 2003 in 31 days without the use of modern technology.
