Bihar's Electoral Roll Revision: Controversy Over Foreign Names in Voter List

Ongoing Electoral Roll Revision in Bihar

New Delhi: The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Bihar's electoral rolls is currently underway, revealing that numerous individuals from Nepal, Bangladesh, and Myanmar are listed as voters.

According to sources from the Election Commission of India (ECI), Booth Level Officers (BLOs) have identified a significant number of these individuals during their house-to-house verification.

The ECI has stated that these names will not be included in the final voter list, which is set to be published on September 30, 2025, following a thorough investigation starting August 1, 2025.

An official confirmation from the ECI is still pending.

The SIR initiative aims to update and verify the voter list in Bihar ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections, ensuring the electoral rolls' accuracy and integrity through a door-to-door process.

As of Saturday, approximately 80.11% of electors in Bihar have submitted their enumeration forms (EF), with a total of over 6.32 crore forms collected, according to an ECI official.

The official noted, "By 6:00 p.m. today, we have surpassed 80.11% in form collection. At this rate, we expect to gather the majority of forms well before July 25, 2025."

The ECI has completed the printing of all forms and is nearing the end of their distribution to eligible voters.

In a significant achievement, BLOs have digitized and uploaded 4.66 crore enumeration forms into ECINet by Saturday evening. ECINet is the newly developed integrated software that consolidates the previous 40 ECI applications.

During the second phase of SIR, BLOs are actively visiting homes to assist voters in submitting their completed forms, as stated in the official report.

Field-level officials, including 38 District Returning Officers (DROs), Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) across all 243 Assembly Constituencies, and 963 Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs), are closely monitoring the SIR's progress.

A total of 77,895 BLOs, along with 20,603 newly appointed officials and other election staff, are diligently working to ensure the timely completion of this exercise.

Additionally, over four lakh volunteers are aiding the elderly, disabled, sick, and vulnerable populations, alongside 1.56 lakh proactive Booth Level Agents (BLAs) appointed by recognized political parties, contributing to the 80.11% collection rate of enumeration forms.

To have their names included in the draft electoral rolls published on August 1, voters must submit their EFs, ideally with eligibility documents. If more time is needed for document submission, voters can do so separately until August 30, the final date for claims and objections, and can seek assistance from volunteers.

The SIR process has sparked significant political debate in Bihar, with the opposition INDIA bloc expressing serious concerns. They argue that the SIR is not merely a voter list cleanup but a strategic move to disenfranchise voters and benefit the ruling NDA.