- By Priyanka Koul
- Tue, 30 Sep 2025 08:21 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
Bihar Assembly Election 2025: The Special Intensive Revision of Bihar's voter rolls has concluded, with updated lists set to be released today. The election schedule is anticipated to be announced next week.
The hearing process for names deleted in Bihar’s voter list under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), conducted by the Election Commission of India (ECI) ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections, concluded on Thursday, September 25. As per the Election Commission’s guidelines, the Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) were assigned between September 1 and 25 to examine and resolve claims related to voter deletions in the electoral rolls.
According to the data, the EC received a total of 16,93,361 applications for name additions and 2,17,049 applications for deletions following the SIR held on August 30. Earlier, on August 1, a draft voter list was released covering 90,712 polling booths across the state’s 243 assembly constituencies. The draft included the names of 72.4 million voters, following which the claims and objections process was commenced.
Bihar SIR: What are the key points?
- The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, conducted after 22 years, faced strong opposition and calls for cancellation. The draft rolls were released on August 1 amid close scrutiny.
- Voters and political parties could file claims and objections until September 1. The Election Commission emphasized ensuring no eligible voter is excluded or ineligible person included.
- The revision process was challenged in the Supreme Court, with petitioners warning of potential large-scale voter disenfranchisement. The next hearing is scheduled for October 7.
- Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi warned they could nullify the voter list if irregularities are found and permitted Aadhaar as a valid identity document, expanding the Election Commission's list of 11 approved documents.
- The judges prioritized "en masse inclusion" over "en masse exclusion," dismissing the Election Commission's concerns about potential forgery.
- Several opposition parties criticized the SIR's timing, intent, and execution, alleging it targets mass disenfranchisement, particularly of poor and minority communities likely to support them.
- Congress leader Rahul Gandhi accused the Election Commission of colluding with the BJP to manipulate voter lists for a favorable mandate, citing data from multiple regions and linking it to the Bihar SIR.
- The Election Commission rejected these claims and asked Rahul Gandhi to submit an affidavit to support his allegations.
- Despite this, Rahul Gandhi and RJD's Tejashwi Yadav led a Voter Adhikar Yatra in Bihar to protest alleged "vote theft."
- With the Bihar Assembly's term ending on November 22, the election schedule is likely to be announced after the Election Commission's visit to Patna on October 4 and 5 to assess poll preparedness.