Bihar Sets National Record: All Polling Stations Now Serve Fewer Than 1,200 Voters, Says ECI

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has announced that Bihar is the first state in India to ensure that all polling stations serve fewer than 1,200 voters. This step aims to make voting easier and reduce crowding at booths.

Massive Increase in Polling Stations

To achieve this goal, the state has added 12,817 new polling stations. With these additions, the total number of polling stations in Bihar has gone up to 90,712, compared to the earlier count of 77,895. This change comes after the ECI revised the maximum number of voters per station from 1,500 to 1,200, as stated in the Bihar SIR order dated June 24, 2025.

This improvement is expected to become a model for other states and union territories to follow in upcoming elections.

Efforts to Include Every Voter

The ECI also shared that about 96.23% of voters in Bihar have been included in the Summary Revision (SIR) process. However, around 5.56% of voters could not be located at their registered addresses. Electoral officers have shared the names of these voters with political parties, encouraging them to reach out through their local networks. Political party leaders and nearly 1.5 lakh Booth Level Agents (BLAs) are now being urged to help contact these missing voters so that they can be added to the updated voter list.

Public Can Raise Objections from August 1

Starting August 1, 2025, Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) will publish the Draft Electoral Roll. At this stage, any citizen can submit requests for corrections, deletions, or additions. The public can raise objections in line with the guidelines set out in the ECI’s June 24 SIR order. The ECI hopes that by working together with political parties and citizens, no eligible voter will be left out of the final voter list.