Bihar's Voter List Revamp: What's All the Buzz About SIR in Bihar?

Bihar's Voter List Revamp: What's All the Buzz About SIR in Bihar?

Picture this: receiving a notification to establish your eligibility to vote in your home state. That's what Bihar residents are experiencing, with the Election Commission Of India (ECI) initiating a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls on June 25, 2025, in preparation for the November 2025 Assembly polls. With 7.89 crore voters in the picture, the ECI is aiming to sift out the voter list by July 25. But opposition parties and activists are crying foul, claiming it could shut out millions. The Supreme Court's now getting into the act, and everyone's waiting with bated breath to see what unfolds. While ECI has been saying constantly that no eligible voter is left out and the commission is only reviving the voter list. The politics on the issue doesn’t seem to cool down as the Bihar elections approach in a few months.

A Massive Voter List Cleanup

The SIR of ECI, supported by Article 324 and the Representation of the People Act, 1950, is confronting Bihar's 7.89 crore voters to ensure only valid names make it to the final roll for the November 2025 elections.

 98,498 Booth Level Officers (BLOs) have been on the field since June 25, reaching 98.01% of voters till July 23. 

They've identified 20 lakh dead voters, 26 lakh shifted and 7 lakh duplicates. If you were on the 2003 roll (4.96 crore voters), you simply fill in a form. 

The remaining 2.93 crore require additional proof, such as a birth certificate or passport.

 You can also submit forms online through the ECINet portal, but the July 25 deadline was close. The draft roll comes out August 1, claims and objections are wrapped up by September 1, and the final list arrives September 30.

Also Read :Pahalgam attack culprits were preparing for big attack in Amarnath, 'Mahadev' became Kaal

Protests and Drama in Parliament

Not all are hailing SIR. Opposition parties Congress and RJD warn it may disenfranchise 35 lakh voters, particularly poorer individuals lacking documents. Bigwigs Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi assembled at Parliament's Makar Dwar in New Delhi on July 28, 2025, seeking SIR's rollback. MPs Manickam Tagore and Akhilesh Prasad Singh urged debates in the Monsoon Session (July 21–August 21), but the House continued to get adjourned. Opponents such as Mamata Banerjee and Asaduddin Owaisi term SIR a "soft-NRC," fearing minorities are targeted. The ECI maintains it's all about clean rolls and claims to have consulted political parties. While this is happening, other voters in the likes of Purnia and Muzaffarpur are perplexed some, such as those from Chimni Bazar, could not even find their names on the rolls though they voted last year. An October 2024-January 2025 voter list update has people asking why SIR's even existed.

Supreme Court Intervenes

The Supreme Court intervention into the SIR debacle. Petitions by the Association for Democratic Reforms, Yogendra Yadav, Manoj Jha, and Mahua Moitra assert that the process particularly requiring documents such as birth certificates may infringe on Article 14, 19, and 21 rights. Hearings on July 7, 10, and 28, 2025, prompted Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and Joymalya Bagchi to ask questions about SIR's timing and conditions. Up to July 25, 7.24 crore forms (91.69%) were filed, but several had a tough time. The court pushed the ECI to include Aadhaar, voter IDs, and ration cards, which they did. The scheduled final hearings on July 29, 2025, and SIR's proceeding for the time being. The ECI indicates it's working to tackle problems such as Bihar's paltry 2.8% coverage of birth certificates for 2001–2005 births, but petitioners claim that process is too hasty for such a large electorate.

What's Next for Bihar's Voters?

The ECI maintains SIR's are essential as migration and urbanization have swelled the electoral rolls since the last major cleanup in 2003. They've estimated 18 lakh dead voters and 7 lakh duplicates and Aadhaar seeding mooted in March 2025 will be of assistance. Bihar SIR is a pilot for national implementation, so the focus is on the September 30 final roll. With the Supreme Court's verdict hanging in the balance and political temperatures running high, the stakes are enormous for Bihar's 2025 elections. Will the SIR guarantee an honest vote, or just abandon voters in the lurch? The verdict's due soon.  

Also Read: Know who will take the final decision amid the Asia Cup controversy