Patna: The Election Commission of India (ECI) will publish the final electoral roll for Bihar’s upcoming assembly elections on Tuesday, concluding a months-long revision process marred by controversy, political accusations, and court interventions.
According to estimates, the final roll is expected to include around 73 million voters, with the addition of roughly 1.4 million new names. The list will be accessible on the Commission’s website, eci.gov.in, as well as through the National Voter Service Portal and state-level platforms.
Contested revision process
The list follows the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, which began on June 24 with a base of 78.9 million registered voters. During the process, 6.56 million names were removed, while over 1.65 million registration forms were submitted.
The draft list, published on August 1, included 72.4 million names. In the weeks that followed, the Commission received more than 36,000 applications to add names and over 217,000 to remove them. Nearly 1.7 million people applied afresh through Form 6. Notices were also issued to 300,000 voters flagged for verification.
The process became a flashpoint in Bihar politics. Opposition leaders Rahul Gandhi and Tejashwi Yadav held rallies alleging large-scale voter fraud, while the matter was also taken to the Supreme Court. The Commission, following court orders, accepted Aadhaar as the twelfth valid document for verification.
How to check voter details
Voters can verify their details online via the National Voter Service Portal. Searches can be made using either the EPIC number or personal details such as name, parent or spouse’s name, and date of birth. The facility is also available on the State Election Commission’s website and its mobile application.
Those missing from the final list will still have the chance to apply for inclusion until 10 days before the last date of filing nominations.
Preparations for the election
With the roll being finalised, the ECI has now turned its attention to election planning. Officials will hold a series of video conferences with commissioners, district magistrates, and senior police officers across Bihar’s 38 districts.
Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar is expected to visit the state in October for a two-day review, after which the Commission will meet political parties on October 4 to gather feedback on security and logistical arrangements. An announcement of election dates is likely to follow.
Political row
The voter revision has fuelled sharp exchanges between the ruling Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) and the opposition. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his Bihar visits, has repeatedly vowed to prevent “infiltrators” from being added to the rolls. Home minister Amit Shah has described Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra as an attempt to extend voting rights to “Bangladeshi infiltrators”.
Opposition leaders, meanwhile, accuse the government and the Election Commission of attempting to manipulate the voter list.
