The Election Commission of India (ECI) has launched a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls across the country, aimed at ensuring accuracy and transparency in electoral records ahead of upcoming elections.
Announcing the decision at a press conference in New Delhi, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar said the nationwide revision had been approved and initiated. “The Election Commission has already taken a decision to conduct SIR throughout the country,” he said, underlining that the exercise is part of the Commission’s continuous effort to maintain clean voter rolls.
The move follows the ECI’s earlier order dated 24 June, which mandated a comprehensive revision of electoral rolls across all states.
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Bihar completes voter list verification
The ECI has completed the SIR process in Bihar, which will hold its 243-seat Assembly elections in two phases on 6 and 11 November, with counting on 14 November.
CEC Kumar said Bihar’s voters actively participated in the verification process, helping to remove ineligible names and add new electors. “The final voter list after SIR has been given to all political parties. Post the date of nomination filing, the voter list to be released will be final,” he said.
According to the Commission, Bihar’s final electoral roll now includes 7.42 crore voters, compared with 7.89 crore as of June. Around 65 lakh names were deleted from the draft list, while 21.53 lakh new voters were added. In Patna district alone, over 1.63 lakh electors were newly registered across 14 Assembly constituencies.
CEC defends timing of revision
Amid suggestions that the revision should have been deferred until after the Bihar polls, Kumar defended the Commission’s timing, calling it both lawful and necessary.
“If you go by the Representation of the People Act, it is legal for the Election Commission to conduct the revision before every election, and it is required to do so under the law. For someone to say that the revision should be conducted after the elections is unjustified,” he said during a press interaction in Patna.
He reiterated that conducting the SIR before elections helps ensure that only eligible voters remain on the rolls, preventing duplication or inaccuracy.
Ensuring clean and credible polls
Officials said the nationwide SIR aims to uphold the integrity of India’s electoral process by updating rolls, removing invalid entries, and adding first-time voters. The Commission described the exercise as a key step towards “purification” of electoral records.
All political parties in Bihar have now received the final lists, marking the completion of the state’s revision process ahead of nominations. The same process will be replicated across other states over the coming months.
Bihar’s high-stakes election ahead
Bihar’s upcoming election is expected to witness a fierce contest between the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the INDIA bloc, which includes Tejashwi Yadav’s Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), the Congress, CPI (ML), CPI, CPM, and Mukesh Sahani’s Vikasheel Insaan Party (VIP).
Political strategist Prashant Kishor’s Jan Suraaj is also set to make its electoral debut, adding a new dimension to the state’s political landscape.
