Patna: With Bihar heading to Assembly elections later this year, the Election Commission of India (ECI) formally launched preparations on Thursday by holding a high-level meeting in Patna to initiate the Special Intensive Revision 2025 process. The revision exercise, aimed at updating the electoral rolls ahead of the polls, marks Bihar as the first state in the country to begin this crucial step in the election cycle.
The meeting was chaired by Senior Deputy Election Commissioner Manish Garg and attended by Chief Electoral Officer of Bihar Vinod Singh Gunjiyal, along with senior ECI officials and representatives from the state’s divisional and district administrations.
Speaking at the meeting, Manish Garg said the Special Intensive Revision was essential in view of the upcoming Legislative Assembly elections, and outlined the ECI’s roadmap to ensure a transparent, inclusive, and time-bound voter roll update. The guidelines for the revision process were presented in detail through a PowerPoint presentation by Deputy Election Commissioner Sanjay Kumar.
The nine-member ECI delegation also conducted a separate meeting with all Divisional Commissioners and District Election Officers across Bihar. The discussions focused on streamlining procedures for door-to-door verification, reorganisation of polling stations, enhancing digital engagement through the ECINET platform, and ensuring the inclusion of socially disadvantaged and marginalised communities.
Officials were also briefed on the use of the newly integrated ECINet app, which now features a ‘Book a Call with BLO’ service, enabling voters to resolve their queries directly with Booth Level Officers. The app is part of the ECI’s broader push to integrate technology and improve accessibility in the electoral process.
Under the Special Intensive Revision, voters aged 18 and above, who are ordinarily residents and not disqualified under the law, are required to submit the Enumeration Form either to BLOs during house-to-house visits or online at voters.eci.gov.in. Only those who submit the completed form by the due date will have their names included in the draft electoral roll, scheduled for publication on August 1.
In addition, the ECI instructed officials to reorganise polling stations according to the 1,200-voter-per-centre guideline. The focus will be on ensuring voters from the same household are registered at a single polling station and that no voter has to travel more than two kilometres to cast their ballot.
District Election Officers have been authorised to deploy volunteers to assist in distributing and collecting forms and supporting voter outreach efforts. The Commission also emphasised the need for collaboration with political parties and the media to run robust public awareness campaigns.
The ECI team, which includes Deputy Election Commissioners Bhanu Prakash Yeturu and Sanjay Kumar, along with senior officials N.N. Butolia, Arvind Anand, Vidyarani Konthoujam, Manoj C., Pawan Diwan, and Abhinav Agarwal, reiterated the Commission’s commitment to conducting a fair, transparent, and participatory revision campaign.
With electoral rolls forming the bedrock of a free and fair election, today’s meeting signalled a significant step toward ensuring the democratic participation of every eligible citizen in Bihar’s 2025 Assembly elections.
