Final electoral roll in Bihar has 7.42 cr voters, 47L fewer than pre-SIR period

NEW DELHI: After a controversial Special Intensive Revision (SIR), the Election Commission of India (ECI) has struck off nearly 47 lakh names from Bihar’s voters’ list.

Data released by the ECI on Tuesday showed the state’s electorate now stands at 7.42 crore, a fall of almost six per cent from the pre-SIR figure of 7.89 crore. The final electoral roll for poll-bound Bihar revealed a decline of over 47 lakh voters since June, when the revision began.

However, the number in the final roll is higher than the draft list of 7.24 crore issued in August. That draft had excluded 65 lakh names identified as “absent,” “shifted,” or “dead.”

According to Bihar’s Chief Electoral Officer, 21.53 lakh eligible voters missing from the draft were added after August 1. The draft had triggered allegations of large-scale voter fraud by opposition parties, with the Congress and INDIA bloc mounting a campaign against what they termed “vote chori (theft).”

During the “claims and objections” phase, 3.66 lakh names from the draft roll were also deleted. The EC has not clarified the grounds on which these electors were later deemed ineligible.

Further details such as district-wise figures, gender breakdown, and age-group distribution are still awaited.

Meanwhile, the Patna district administration reported that the number of voters across 14 Assembly segments under its jurisdiction now stands at 48.15 lakh — an increase of 1.63 lakh over the draft rolls of August 1. Of these, female voters account for 22.75 lakh, while Digha constituency has the largest electorate with 4.56 lakh names.

Responding to the updated figures, JD(U) spokesman Neeraj Kumar said, “The vote theft propaganda of the corrupt opposition, led by Rahul Gandhi and Tejashwi Yadav, now stands exposed.”

State Congress president Rajesh Kumar, however, expressed “serious concerns”, pointing out that deletions in the draft list remained “far in excess” of the additions in the final roll. “The issues concerning SIR are far from over. We are ready for a fight to the finish. The credibility and impartiality of the EC remain doubtful,” he alleged.

The massive SIR exercise, which the EC plans to replicate nationwide, has sparked controversy ahead of Assembly elections likely to be announced soon. Opposition parties—some of which have approached the Supreme Court—allege the process is being misused to wrongfully delete voters less likely to support the BJP-led NDA.

BJP leaders, including Union Home Minister Amit Shah, have defended the revision as necessary to remove “infiltrators” the INDIA bloc allegedly sought to shield.

The EC has rejected charges of bias, asserting it will ensure that no eligible citizen is left out while preventing ineligible names from staying on the rolls.

The poll authority will visit Patna on October 4 and 5 to review election preparedness. The 243-member Bihar Assembly’s term ends on November 22. The last assembly polls in the state were held in three phases under the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a press note, the ECI said eligible voters may still apply for inclusion up to ten days before the deadline for filing nominations. Those excluded can appeal first to the district magistrate and then to the chief electoral officer.