New Delhi: Election Commission of India (ECI) on July 21 informed that around 43 lakh electors were not found at their addresses during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) drive in Bihar.
In an official statement issued on Monday evening, the Commission stated that the detailed list of 43.93 lakh voters who were found to be missing at their addresses along with the other 29 lakh voters who have yet not submitted their Enumeration Forms have been shared with 12 prominent political parties.
“CEO/DEOs/EROs/BLOs have held meetings with the representatives of all political parties and have shared detailed lists of the 29.62 lakh electors whose Forms have not been received so far and also of the nearly 43.93 lakh electors who were not found at their addresses. All the 12 major political parties have also been requested to connect with these remaining electors, through their District Presidents and nearly 1.5 lakh BLAs,” read the release issued by the ECI.
The Commission noted that the list has been shared to ensure that the entire election machinery including political parties works together to prepare an accurate draft ‘Electoral Roll’ to be published on the 1st of next month.
“This is to ensure that the entire election machinery, including the political parties, works together in a mission mode so that no eligible elector is left out from the draft Electoral Roll to be published on August 01, 2025,” added the release.
The ECI further stated that once published, anyone can file objection for any kind of rectification along inclusion and exclusion from the draft roll.
“From August 1, 2025 any member of the public can file objections for any additions/deletions/rectification in Draft Electoral Rolls, in accordance with the SIR order dated 24.06.2025,” said ECI.
The Commission informed that 90.67 per cent Enumeration Forms have been so far received during the revision exercise out of which 89.73 per cent have been digitised. It noted that over 96 per cent listed electors have been covered during the drive aimed at overhauling the electoral list.
Voter list revision drive in Bihar
Election Commission of India (ECI) is conducting a voter revision drive in Bihar ahead of the state assembly polls scheduled to be held in October-November this year.
Commenced on June 25th, the ECI drive aims to ensure inclusion of every eligible voter of the state in the overhauled list while removing the ineligible one’s at the same time.
The ECI will publish the electoral draft roll on August 1, providing a two-month window for electoral to register their objections before rolling out the final overhauled electoral list by September 30.
Leaders from opposition have raised concern over the ECI exercise, claiming that it could lead to disfranchisement of a large chunk of voters, particularly from the marginalised sections.
The NDA parties however has backed the voter revision drive, underscoring that the drive will remove ineligible and fake voters whose name should not be there in the voter list.
Meanwhile petitions against the electoral revision drive is also being heard by the Supreme Court after leaders of opposition approached the court for a stay on the ongoing voter revision drive. The apex court however allowed the ECI to continue with the electoral revision exercise. The matter is next scheduled to be heard in the last week of July.
