Patna: The Election Commission of India (ECI) is set to remove nearly 60 to 65 lakh names from Bihar’s voter rolls following the completion of the first phase of a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) drive, raising political concerns ahead of the upcoming state assembly elections, reported the Hindustan Times. The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on Monday a batch of pleas challenging the ECI’s decision to undertake a special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar.
According to officials, the names flagged for deletion account for roughly 7% to 8% of Bihar’s 7.89 crore-strong electorate. The deletions are based on categories including deaths, permanent migration, duplicate entries, and untraceable or non-responsive voters.
The revision, conducted through a door-to-door verification campaign, saw enumerators reach 99.8% of registered voters. Of the names likely to be dropped, approximately 22 lakh are of deceased persons, 35 lakh have permanently migrated or were not found during verification, and 7 lakh are suspected duplicates. Another 21 lakh individuals failed to submit the required verification forms and are also under scrutiny.
The ECI has said the draft electoral roll will be published on August 1, following which voters can file claims and objections until September 1. The final voter list is scheduled to be released on September 30.
The ECI has emphasized that the revision is being carried out transparently and in accordance with existing rules. He reassured that no eligible voter would be excluded and urged the public to verify their details when the draft list is published.
The process, however, has drawn strong criticism from opposition parties. The Congress, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Communist Party of India (CPI), and other INDIA bloc members have accused the Commission of targeting marginalized and migrant communities. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge alleged that the drive could disenfranchise up to 2 crore voters and called it a “vote-bandi” campaign designed to suppress certain sections of the population.
The ECI has refuted these claims, asserting that no changes have been made to the document requirements for voter verification and that the guidelines issued on June 24 remain unchanged.
Despite the Commission’s assurances, opposition leaders have launched protests and public campaigns across Bihar, claiming the revision process is flawed and politically motivated.