Over 7.24 Crore Voters Participate in Bihar’s Voter List Update, Says Election Commission

The Election Commission of India (ECI) announced on Sunday that more than 7.24 crore voters in Bihar took part in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process, which was held from June 24 to July 25. Out of 7.89 crore registered voters, this means about 91.69% participation, which the Commission called a big success in getting citizens involved.

The purpose of the SIR was to check and update voter records across all 38 districts in Bihar, ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections. The ECI called it a "large and successful effort" where both citizens and political parties actively took part.

In an official press release, the ECI said the first goal of the SIR was to involve all voters and all political parties. The process saw major help from Booth Level Officers (BLOs), Booth Level Agents (BLAs), volunteers, and party workers. The number of BLAs increased during the drive, with CPI(M) showing a sharp 1083% rise, Congress with a 105% rise, and CPI(ML) going up by 542%. The BJP recorded a 3% increase, while RJD and JD(U) saw smaller improvements.

BLOs Go Door-to-Door; Migrants and Youth Reached Out

BLOs visited each voter's home to give and collect forms. This was done in three rounds, ensuring no voter was left out. Extra attention was given to people in cities, first-time voters, and those who had moved to other states for work.

To help reach migrants from Bihar, the Election Commission placed full-page ads in 246 Hindi newspapers, and the Chief Electoral Officer of Bihar wrote letters to all Indian states and union territories. These letters requested help in encouraging migrants to fill out their forms and take part in the revision.

The ECI also shared that 29 lakh forms were either filled online or downloaded, out of which 16 lakh were submitted digitally. This shows more people are now using online options to update their voter details.

Draft Voter List to Be Released on August 1

The Draft Electoral Roll will be published on August 1, 2025. After that, voters and political parties can raise objections or make changes until September 1, 2025. To manage this process, Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and Assistant EROs (AEROs) have been posted across Bihar to carefully check all updates.

The Election Commission also made it clear that no name will be removed from the voter list without a proper notice and written approval by the ERO, as per the rules of the SIR.

During the voter check process, the ECI also found that about 35 lakh voters either could not be found or had permanently moved away from their listed addresses.