EC rolls out final electoral roll for Bihar polls

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Tuesday released the final electoral roll for the upcoming Bihar assembly elections, declaring 7.42 crore voters eligible to exercise their franchise. This comes after months of scrutiny and revisions under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process.

The revisions became necessary because the initial list showed wide variations — from 7.89 crore electors as of June 24, 2025, to 7.24 crore in the draft roll published on August 1. Officials said this gap arose due to the large-scale removal of ineligible voters, such as deceased persons, those who had migrated permanently, or those whose enumeration forms were not received. To ensure fairness, names were reverified, and new applications (Form 6) were added, ultimately bringing the final tally to 7.42 crore electors.

According to the poll panel, around 3.66 lakh ineligible names were struck off, while 21.53 lakh new voters were added during the SIR. The exercise involved 38 district election officers, 243 electoral registration officers, nearly 3,000 assistant officers, and over one lakh booth-level officials, with active involvement from 12 political parties and their booth-level agents.

The Election Commission maintained that the process was carried out in line with Article 326 of the Constitution, guided by the principle of “no eligible voter left out, and no ineligible voter included.” However, opposition parties have opposed the manner of the SIR, alleging irregularities.

The matter is now before the Supreme Court, which has scheduled the final hearing for October 7. The court has said it will presume the Commission acted within the law but warned that the entire exercise could be set aside if any illegality is established.

The ECI said that digital and physical copies of the final rolls are being shared with political parties and made available online for public access. Eligible voters can still apply for inclusion until ten days before the last date of nominations.