Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar has expressed his gratitude to the people of Bihar for their enthusiastic participation in the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the state's electoral rolls. He emphasized that clean and accurate voter lists are crucial for a healthy democracy in India.
The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Bihar's electoral rolls is currently underway, with the aim of purifying the electoral rolls by removing ineligible individuals, deleting duplicate entries, and including eligible voters. The Election Commission of India (ECI) has been actively encouraging citizens to enroll and update their details. The revision is being carried out as per the guidelines issued on June 24, 2025. The draft electoral rolls, which will include the names of people who have submitted their enumeration forms, are scheduled to be published on August 1, 2025. Voters can submit their supporting documents any time before July 25.
As of July 9, 2025, Bihar had collected over 57.48% of Enumeration Forms, which totals 4.53 crore out of 7.90 crore electors, demonstrating strong voter engagement. More than 83 lakh forms were collected in the 24 hours prior, contributing 10.52% to the total, which reflects heightened field activity and cooperation from voters and officials. Gyanesh Kumar credited the momentum to the committed efforts of election officials and field volunteers, in addition to the involvement of 1.56 lakh Booth Level Agents (BLAs) from recognized political parties.
The Election Commission is optimistic that the enumeration process will be completed well before the July 25 deadline, provided the current pace continues. According to the SIR guidelines, even temporarily migrated voters can access pre-filled forms from the Election Commission's portal and submit them via family members or platforms like WhatsApp. Since the launch of the drive on June 24, nearly 7.90 crore forms have been printed, with over 98% already reaching voters across Bihar.
Gyanesh Kumar, a 1988 batch IAS officer from the Kerala cadre, assumed the office of the 26th Chief Election Commissioner of India on February 19, 2025. He previously served as an Election Commissioner. His tenure as CEC will extend until January 26, 2029.
The Election Commission has clarified that the revision of the voter list is being carried out as per the instructions issued on June 24, and there has been no change in the rules. If any forms are submitted without the necessary documents, the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) will send a notice to those voters, who will still have the opportunity to file claims or objections between August 1 and September 1. The final voter list is expected to be released on September 30. Officials have also warned people not to be misled by false or confusing statements.
Kumar's statement comes as opposition parties have challenged the SIR's intent in the Supreme Court ahead of the Bihar Assembly polls. The EC has maintained that the revision, being held after 22 years, will cleanse the voters' list of ineligible people and duplicate entries, and include those eligible to vote, in accordance with the law. The Election Commission has emphasized that the SIR guidelines issued on June 24 stand firmly on four key pillars: the exercise is "all-inclusive," every elector who submits a form will be included in the draft electoral roll, the eligibility of an elector is determined in accordance with Article 326 of the Constitution, and continuous updation of the electoral roll.
