The Election Commission of India has addressed the ongoing controversy surrounding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, specifically concerning the exclusion of names, before the Supreme Court. The opposition has raised concerns about the process and accused the government and Election Commission of improperly removing names from the voter list ahead of the Bihar assembly elections.
The Election Commission has stated that it is not obligated to publish a separate list of individuals whose names have been removed from the draft electoral roll. They emphasized that they would not be issuing such a list. Furthermore, the Election Commission asserted that they are not required to provide reasons for the exclusion of names, as per the existing regulations.
The Election Commission stated that they had already shared the draft electoral roll with political parties. They also highlighted that individuals whose names were not included in the draft roll have the option to submit declarations for inclusion. The Election Commission has opposed a request from the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) that sought the publication of a list of excluded voters and the reasons for their removal.
The Election Commission has filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court. This affidavit assured the court that no eligible voter will have their name removed from the electoral roll without proper notice, a hearing, and a reasoned order. All possible measures are being taken to include all eligible voters’ names in the final electoral roll.
During the SIR process, the Election Commission has issued strict instructions to prevent the improper removal of names. They informed the Supreme Court that out of a total of 78.9 million voters, 72.4 million have either confirmed their details or submitted the required forms. This process involved extensive efforts from various officials, including the Chief Electoral Officer, District Election Officers, Electoral Registration Officers, Booth Level Officers (BLOs), volunteers, and booth-level agents.
Political parties were regularly provided with lists of missing voters to facilitate their inclusion. The Election Commission also provided assistance to migrant workers through advertisements, online and offline form-filling options, special camps in urban areas, and advance registration for youth.
The ADR has alleged that 6.5 million voters were wrongly excluded. The Supreme Court has requested that the Election Commission file an affidavit. The next hearing is scheduled for August 13. The draft electoral roll was published on August 1, 2025, after BLOs conducted a house-to-house verification process.
Despite the publication of the draft voter list and the opportunity for objections, no political party has filed any objections. The opposition continues to raise concerns about the process.