Bihar Assembly elections 2025: ECI releases final voter list after Special Intensive Revision, poll schedule expected soon
PTC Web Desk: The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Tuesday released the final voter list for the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections following the completion of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise. Voters can now check their details on the Election Commission of India website.
The finalised list will form the basis for the Bihar Assembly elections 2025, marking a significant step ahead of the poll schedule announcement, which is likely between October 6 and 7. The SIR exercise, conducted in Bihar after a gap of 22 years, has been a focal point of both political and legal debates.
The draft electoral rolls were published on August 1 and kept open for claims and objections until September 1. Bihar had 7.89 crore voters before the revision. The draft list showed 7.24 crore voters, with 65.63 lakh names deleted. Post draft publication, 3 lakh voters received notices. During the claims and objections period, 2.17 lakh people requested name deletions, while 16.93 lakh applied for inclusion. Between August 1 and September 1, over 16.56 lakh new registrations were submitted via Form-6. Additionally, around 36,000 sought inclusion, and over 2.17 lakh requested deletions during the objection phase. Applications received between September 1 and 30 will be processed from October 1. Voters can still apply for inclusion up to 10 days before the last date of nomination, with names added to a supplementary list and later to the regular rolls for future elections.
The revision process has faced criticism from opposition parties, who allege mass disenfranchisement, particularly affecting poor and minority voters. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav have accused the ECI of colluding with the BJP, terming the SIR as a “vote theft operation” and leading the “Voter Adhikar Yatra” across Bihar.
The matter reached the Supreme Court, where petitioners warned that the revision could strip lakhs of voters of their rights. Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi stressed en masse inclusion over exclusion while allowing Aadhaar as a valid document despite EC concerns over forgery. The next hearing is scheduled for October 7.
Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, along with Election Commissioners Dr SS Sandhu and Vineet Joshi, will visit Bihar on October 4-5 to assess election arrangements. They are expected to meet political parties, state officials, and civil society representatives. Ahead of this, a meeting of poll observers is scheduled in Delhi on October 3.
With the final voter list released and the EC’s review visit lined up, sources indicate that the Bihar Assembly election schedule could be announced as early as October 6 or 7. The current Assembly’s term concludes on November 22, 2025.
- With inputs from agencies
