Controversial Bihar Voter List Overhaul To Drop 35.5 Lakh Names, So Far

Patna:

As speculated by opposition parties, over 35 lakh names are set to be excluded from Bihar’s electoral roll as a result of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process.

The Election Commission (EC) has revealed that, as of now, 6.6 crore electors have submitted their enumeration forms. This accounts for 88.18% of the total voters in the state. Voters have time to submit their forms until July 25, after which the draft electoral roll will be published.

The EC shared fresh statistics showing that 1.59 per cent of electors, equivalent to 12.5 lakh voters, were found to have died but their names remain on the list. Another 2.2 per cent, or 17.5 lakh electors, have permanently moved out of Bihar and are no longer eligible to vote in the state. Another 0.73 per cent, around 5.5 lakh, were found to have registered twice.

Taken together, these findings indicate that approximately 35.5 lakh existing voters will be removed from Bihar’s voter list. This amounts to more than 4.5 per cent of the total electorate, a significant shake-up ahead of this and future elections.