The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Tuesday published the final voter list for the Bihar Assembly elections, following the completion of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.
The elections in the state will be conducted on the basis of this final roll. Poll officials said that any voter can check the details of their name in the list on the Election Commission of India website.
The release of the voter list marks a key step ahead of the announcement of the poll schedule, which is expected between October 6 and 7. The SIR exercise, carried out in Bihar after a gap of 22 years, has been at the centre of both political and legal debate.
The draft electoral rolls were first published on August 1 and were kept open for claims and objections until September 1. Prior to the revision, Bihar had 7.89 crore voters.
The draft list, however, showed 7.24 crore names after 65.63 lakh deletions. Following the draft publication, approximately 3 lakh voters were issued notices.
During the claims and objections period, 2.17 lakh people applied for removal of their names, while 16.93 lakh applied for inclusion. Between August 1 and September 1 alone, over 16.56 lakh voters submitted Form-6 for new registrations.
Additionally, nearly 36,000 sought inclusion, while over 2.17 lakh requested deletions during the objection phase. Disposal of applications received between September 1 and 30 will take place from October 1 onwards.
Under the rules, voters can continue to apply for inclusion up to ten days before the last date of nomination. Names of such voters will appear in a supplementary list and will be added to regular rolls for subsequent elections.
The SIR exercise has faced sharp criticism from Opposition parties. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi alleged collusion between the poll body and the BJP, claiming that the exercise was an attempt at mass disenfranchisement, particularly targeting poor and minority voters.
Gandhi, along with RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, has led a “Voter Adhikar Yatra” in Bihar, describing the revision as a “vote theft” operation.
Also Read : SC to resume hearing on petitions against Bihar SIR
The matter also reached the Supreme Court, where petitioners warned that the revision could deprive lakhs of voters of their rights. Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi emphasised that they would not hesitate to scrap the voter rolls if irregularities were found.
The judges also stressed “en masse inclusion” over “en masse exclusion,” while permitting the use of Aadhaar as a valid document despite the EC’s concerns about forgery. The next hearing is scheduled for October 7.
Ahead of the elections, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, along with Election Commissioners Dr SS Sandhu and Vineet Joshi, will visit Bihar on October 4–5 to review poll arrangements.
The team is expected to meet political parties, state officials, and civil society representatives. Prior to that, a meeting of poll observers is scheduled in Delhi on October 3.
The current Bihar Assembly’s term ends on November 22. With the final voter list released and the EC’s review visit planned, sources suggest that the election schedule could be announced as early as October 6 or 7.
Follow us
