With the deadline for submission of enumeration forms for Bihar's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) concluding on July 25, 2025, the Election Commission (EC) has reported that an impressive 99.8% of the state's voters had been covered. This large-scale effort, aimed at purifying and updating the electoral rolls ahead of the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections, has been the first major revision in the state since 2003.
The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) was initiated to verify voter eligibility and eliminate outdated or duplicate entries from the electoral rolls. The scale of the operation was massive, with over 7.89 crore registered voters in Bihar. As part of the process, Booth Level Officers (BLOs) conducted door-to-door visits, providing pre-filled forms to voters for verification and submission. To ensure inclusivity, the EC also facilitated online and WhatsApp submissions for those temporarily residing outside the state.
While a vast majority of voters complied with the enumeration process, the EC's data revealed significant discrepancies in the electoral roll. Approximately 20 lakh voters were found to be deceased, 28 lakh had permanently migrated, and 7 lakh were registered in multiple locations. Additionally, around 1 lakh voters could not be traced. These findings underscored the critical need for the revision exercise to maintain the integrity of the voter list.
The revision process has not been without controversy. Opposition parties raised concerns that legitimate voters, particularly migrants, the poor, and those without formal documentation, might be excluded. Concerns deepened among poor migrant families fearing loss of welfare schemes if their names were omitted from the voter list. The EC has emphasized that the revision is about transparency, accuracy, and fairness, and has taken measures to address these concerns. The commission also clarified that citizens do not lose voter status if they are away for work or studies.
With the deadline passed, the EC is set to publish the draft electoral roll on August 1, 2025. Electors will then have a window from August 1 to September 1 to file claims or objections regarding inclusions or exclusions in the draft roll. The final electoral roll will be published shortly thereafter, well in advance of the Bihar Assembly elections. The EC has said that copies of the draft electoral roll will be provided to all major political parties in the state and will be available on the ECI's website.
Despite the high percentage of voters covered, approximately 7 lakh electors had not submitted their forms by the deadline. This means that their names might not appear on the draft voter list. However, the Election Commission has said that the inclusion of names in the electoral roll will continue until September 1, giving people an opportunity to get their name added. Those who were added to the rolls after January 1, 2003, were required to submit documents establishing their eligibility.
The success of this Special Intensive Revision hinges on the accuracy of the updated voter list and the inclusivity of the process. While the high rate of form submission is encouraging, the coming weeks will be critical in addressing remaining discrepancies and ensuring that all eligible voters are included in the final electoral roll.
