Even though the official deadline of September 1, 2025, has passed for submitting claims and objections to the draft electoral rolls in Bihar, there's still an opportunity to ensure your name is on the voter list. The Election Commission of India (ECI) has clarified that they will continue to accept applications for inclusion, objections, and corrections even after the deadline. These submissions will be considered and integrated into the electoral roll until the last date of nominations for the upcoming Assembly elections.

Supreme Court Directs Assistance

Acknowledging potential "trust issues" regarding the submission and acceptance of claims and objections, the Supreme Court has directed the Bihar State Legal Services Authority (BLSA) to deploy paralegal volunteers in every district. These volunteers will assist voters and political parties in the online submission of claims, objections, and corrections. They will also submit confidential reports about their work to the District and Sessions Judge.

How to Still File Claims and Objections

• Continue Filing: The ECI has assured that the filing of claims, objections, or corrections is not barred after September 1st. You can still submit these.
• Online Submission: The Supreme Court had previously ordered that individuals excluded from the draft electoral roll can submit their applications for inclusion online, eliminating the need for physical submission of forms.
• Forms to Use: If you are a new voter, you can apply using Form 6 along with a declaration form.

What Happens After Submission?

The ECI has stated that applications submitted after September 1st will be considered after the electoral roll has been finalized. The process of considering claims and objections will continue until the last date for filing nominations, and all inclusions and exclusions will be integrated into the final roll.

Why This Revision Matters

Bihar is undergoing a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of its electoral rolls. This exercise aims to verify voter eligibility and remove outdated or duplicate entries. While the ECI says that the revision is about transparency, accuracy and fairness, some have expressed concerns about the exclusion of legitimate voters.

Key Concerns and Statistics

• Exclusions vs. Inclusions: An ECI note indicated that requests to delete or exclude names from the draft electoral roll outnumbered claims for inclusion by almost six to one between August 22 and August 30, 2025.
• Low Re-inclusion Applications: Despite approximately 6.5 million names being excluded from the draft electoral roll, only around 33,000 applications have been submitted for re-inclusion.
• The ECI stated that of the 7.24 crore electors in the draft electoral roll, 99.5% had already submitted their eligibility documents. The verification of these documents is scheduled to be completed by September 25th.

Role of Political Parties

The court has urged all 12 political parties in Bihar to direct their workers to assist people in filing the necessary forms, including Form 6 and providing any of the 11 specified documents or an Aadhaar card. The Supreme Court expressed concern over the low number of objections raised by political parties, in contrast to individual electors who have been more proactive.

Using Aadhaar

The Supreme Court has directed the ECI to accept Aadhaar as a valid document for filing claims or objections.

What's Next?

The ECI is currently conducting a verification exercise, and voters will receive immediate notice of any inconsistencies, with a seven-day window for resolution. The ECI aims to finalize the roll by September 30th, but will still consider claims and objections after this date.