The Election Commission of India (EC) announced that it has received over 90% of voter enumeration forms in Bihar as part of its Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the state’s electoral roll. This revision began on June 25, with the deadline for submission set for July 25.
According to the EC, 90.12% of Bihar’s registered voters which amounts to about 7.11 crore out of 7.8 crore electors—have submitted their forms. Out of these, the commission has already digitised 6.85 crore forms.
36 Lakh Voters Found “Not at Address”
During the revision, the EC found that over 36.86 lakh voters, which is a little more than 4.67% of the total, were possibly dead, permanently relocated, or registered in more than one place. Additionally, 6,978 voters (0.01%) could not be located at all.
The EC described these voters as “probably” deceased, shifted, or untraceable. It added that these lists are being shared with district-level leaders of political parties and their booth-level agents. These representatives have until July 25 to confirm the status of each voter.
Why Bihar Was Chosen First
The EC had issued the order for a nationwide voter roll revision on June 24 but decided to begin with Bihar as the state is due for Assembly elections. The EC made it mandatory for all 7.8 crore registered voters in Bihar to submit updated information through enumeration forms in order to be included in the draft electoral roll to be published on August 1.
Claims and Objections Timeline
Once the draft roll is released on August 1, voters and political parties will have until September 1 to raise any claims or objections. The Electoral Registration Officers will then have until September 25 to address and resolve these issues. The final electoral roll will be published on September 30.
1.5 Lakh Booth Agents Playing a Key Role
The Election Commission said that more than 1.5 lakh booth-level agents (BLAs) are helping with this process. “As per the SIR order, each of the more than 1.5 lakh BLAs can submit up to 50 forms a day after certifying them. This step is in line with the ECI’s commitment that no eligible elector is left out,” the EC stated.
