A Riddle in EC's Roll Revision in Bihar: 'Missing' Voters

As the SIR drive nears its end and a fresh electoral roll is set to be published, questions remain over the fate of millions of voters. Shikha Chaturvedi explains

- Shikha Chaturvedi

Ever since the Election Commission (EC) rolled out its Special Intensive Revision (SIR) drive in Bihar, millions across the poll-bound state have scrambled to gather one of 11 official documents that the poll body has asked them to furnish.

The sweeping exercise, the EC says, is to update and "cleanse" the electoral rolls. It is aimed at tackling longstanding issues in the voter lists — illegal immigrants, underreported deaths, and frequent migration of domiciled citizens.

Critics, including former EC officials, and also citizens' groups who petitioned the Supreme Court, have argued that the SIR's "narrow" criteria and "poor timing" could end up disenfranchising a significant number of poor, rural, and marginalized voters.

According to the latest data furnished by the poll body as of July 19 evening, it had covered 75,746,821 of Bihar's 78,969,844 electors (as on June 24, 2025), or 95.92 per cent. The data showed that the EC had not received 3.23 million forms, or 4.08 per cent. But according to sources, with six days still to go for the conclusion of the SIR, the commission was confident that it would receive the remaining forms.