ECI Releases Draft Electoral Rolls for Bihar Ahead of 2025 Assembly Polls

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Friday released the draft voter list for Bihar following the completion of a month-long Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

The Commission emphasized that the public has a full month to raise claims and objections and assured that “no name will be removed from the draft voter list without a stated reason.”

Public Invited to Check Voter Details

In an official statement, the ECI confirmed the release of the draft list and noted that it had already been shared with all political parties.

Citizens were urged to verify their voter information and submit any necessary changes.

“The draft voter list has been released today in Bihar. One-month period for claims and objections begins; draft list shared with political parties. Still a full one month to get names added. No name will be removed from the draft voter list without a stated reason,” the Commission said in a statement posted on X.

CEC Gyanesh Kumar Appeals to Citizens

On Thursday, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar addressed the public directly, saying, “Dear Electors of Bihar, as per Para 7(4) of SIR orders (Page 3), the draft electoral rolls of Bihar are being published tomorrow ie Friday, the 1 Aug 2025 at https://voters.eci.gov.in/download-eroll?stateCode=S04.”

He stated that both physical and digital copies of the draft rolls would be made available to all recognised political parties across Bihar’s 38 districts through the District Election Officers (DEOs).

Claims and Objections Window Open Until September 1

The Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Bihar and 243 Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) will accept claims and objections from August 1 to September 1, 2025.

This includes adding names of missing eligible voters, removing names of ineligible ones, or correcting errors in the draft rolls. Any voter from the respective assembly constituency or representative from a recognised political party is eligible to file these.

Over 91% Participation in Voter Enumeration

The Election Commission reported that more than 7.24 crore electors had submitted their enumeration forms during the SIR exercise held from June 24 to July 25.

Out of 7.89 crore registered voters in Bihar, this marks a 91.69% participation rate. The ECI described the effort as a “massive and successful citizen participation effort” aimed at improving the accuracy of electoral data ahead of the upcoming assembly elections.

Statewide Enumeration Exercise Completed

According to the Commission’s press release, the enumeration drive was carried out to update and verify the electoral records across all 38 districts in Bihar.

The primary aim of the SIR was the involvement of all electors and political parties. The role of Booth Level Officers (BLOs), Booth Level Agents (BLAs), volunteers, and political party workers was acknowledged as vital to the process.

BLOs visited every registered voter’s residence at least three times to distribute and collect forms. Special attention was given to urban voters, first-time voters, and temporary migrants.

Names Will Not Be Removed Without Due Process

The ECI clarified that under the SIR guidelines, names in the electoral roll will not be deleted without a proper notice and a written order issued by the ERO.

During the exercise, it was discovered that approximately 35 lakh voters were either untraceable or had permanently migrated from their listed addresses.

Supreme Court to Hear Pleas Against SIR

Earlier this week, the Supreme Court scheduled hearings on a group of petitions challenging the ECI’s decision to conduct the SIR in poll-bound Bihar.

The hearings are set for August 12 and 13. The petitions raised concerns that up to 65 lakh voters could be excluded from the draft list. In response, a bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi stated that if a large number of voters are excluded, the court would intervene.

Court Recommends Aadhaar and EPIC as Identity Proof

On Monday, the Supreme Court asked the ECI to consider accepting Aadhaar cards and electoral photo identity cards as valid documents to confirm voter identity during the SIR.

However, the court declined to halt the publication of the draft electoral rolls on August 1, allowing the process to proceed as scheduled.