The Election Commission (EC) has identified a significant number of voters in Bihar, approximately 3.57 million, who were not found at their registered addresses during a recent verification drive. This figure represents about 4.5% of Bihar's total electorate of 7.9 crore. The EC is sharing these details with political parties to help verify the status of these voters before the electoral roll is updated.
The verification drive involved three mandatory visits by booth-level officers (BLOs) to each registered address. Despite these efforts, a substantial number of voters could not be located. Among those untraceable, approximately 12.5 lakh are believed to be deceased, 17.4 lakh are likely to have permanently relocated, and nearly 5.8 lakh appear to be enrolled in multiple locations.
To ensure transparency and accuracy, the Election Commission will share the list of these voters with district presidents of political parties and their 1.5 lakh booth-level agents starting Thursday. This will enable the parties to re-verify the status of these electors before the deadline for form submission on July 25. The EC is also making special efforts to reach urban voters and those who have temporarily migrated outside Bihar. Voters who have temporarily migrated out of Bihar are encouraged to complete their enumeration forms online through the ECINet mobile app or the Voter's Portal.
As of Wednesday, enumeration forms from 54.1 lakh electors were yet to be received. The Election Commission has urged voters to submit their completed enumeration forms by July 25. To further facilitate the process, special camps are being set up in all 5,683 wards of the state's 261 urban local bodies to ensure that no eligible elector is left out.
Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar expressed his gratitude for the public's active participation in the Special Summary Revision (SIR) exercise, emphasizing the importance of cleaning up the electoral rolls. He noted that around 93.2% of Bihar's 7.9 crore voters have already been covered under the SIR process.
The Special Intensive Revision (SIR), which began on June 24, requires all electors to submit Enumeration Forms (EFs) and documents for those enrolled after January 1, 2003, by July 25. As of Monday, 6.60 crore (83.66%) of the forms had been collected by Booth Level Officers (BLOs). The Election Commission initiated the intensive revision to address various factors, including rapid urbanization, frequent migration, young citizens becoming eligible to vote, unreported deaths, and the inclusion of illegal immigrants' names.
During the house-to-house verification, a significant number of individuals from Nepal, Bangladesh, and Myanmar were identified. The Election Commission has stated that the names of these individuals will not be included in the final voter list, which is scheduled to be published on September 30.
Opposition leader Tejashwi Yadav has criticized the Election Commission, alleging that the SIR is an eyewash manipulated on the instructions of the Bharatiya Janata Party and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He also raised concerns about the lack of acknowledgement receipts after voters submit their forms, calling it a violation of informed consent. However, the Bihar Chief Electoral Officer has refuted these allegations.
