The first phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the Bihar Electoral Roll, which began on June 24, is nearing completion, with an impressive 98.01% coverage of electors across the state. The Election Commission of India (ECI) confirmed the progress on Tuesday, noting that the revision is aimed at ensuring no eligible voter is excluded and no ineligible person remains on the rolls.
According to ECI, on July 23, more than 7.17 crore electors’ enumeration forms (90.89%) have been received and digitised. The data collected so far has revealed that approximately 20 lakh electors have been reported as deceased, 28 lakh have permanently migrated, and 7 lakh individuals are enrolled at multiple locations. Additionally, 1 lakh electors have been found to be untraceable, while forms from 15 lakh electors have not yet been returned.
In a significant step toward electoral transparency, on July 20, the Election Commission shared lists of potentially incorrectly included electors and those who failed to submit their enumeration forms with 1.5 lakh Booth Level Agents (BLAs). These BLAs were nominated by district-level leaders of 12 major political parties in Bihar.
The Commission has also streamlined the submission process for temporarily migrated electors from Bihar who have not registered elsewhere. These individuals can submit their enumeration forms via the ECI’s online portal (https://electors.eci.gov.in), the ECINet mobile app, or by sending signed printed forms to their Booth Level Officers (BLOs) through a family member or via WhatsApp.
Electors who have submitted their forms can track the status on the ECI website and have been notified via SMS, provided they shared their mobile numbers in the forms.
The Draft Electoral Roll will be published on August 1, 2025, marking the end of the first phase. If errors are found, electors or political parties may file objections regarding wrongly included names with the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) or Assistant Electoral Registration Officer (AERO) of their constituency. Likewise, eligible individuals who are missing from the roll can file claims for inclusion by September 1, 2025.