The ECI’s special voter list revision for Bihar Elections 2025 faces legal heat as 8 opposition parties approach the Supreme Court, alleging exclusion and rushed procedures.
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BIHAR: As Bihar approaches its 2025 Assembly Elections, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has launched a Special Summary Revision (SSR) of the electoral roll.
This massive exercise is being conducted across the state with the objective of ensuring a clean, updated, and inclusive voter list. The process involves adding new voters, removing outdated or ineligible entries, and correcting existing data.
The ECI is conducting a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in Bihar ahead of the 2025 Assembly Elections. This five-phase process began with door-to-door distribution of Enumeration Forms by Booth Level Officers (BLOs) from June 25 to July 3, aiming to cover 7.90 crore electors.
Voters are currently submitting forms with assistance from BLOs and over 4 lakh volunteers, especially focusing on vulnerable groups. Forms are being uploaded via the BLO App, and the draft electoral roll will be published on August 1, only including names submitted by July 25.
Claims and objections can be filed from August 1 to September 1, with the final roll to be released on September 30. As of July 6, 1.69 crore forms (21.46%) have been collected.
Meanwhile, eight opposition parties, including Congress, NCP (Sharad Pawar), CPI, DMK, SP, Shiv Sena (UBT), JMM, and CPI(ML), have approached the Supreme Court challenging the ECI’s SIR process.
They argue that the strict timeline and documentation demands could unfairly exclude voters. The Court, noting that elections haven’t been officially notified, agreed to hear the matter on July 10.
ECI Meets Political Parties on Bihar SIR 2025
The Election Commission of India (ECI), under the leadership of Chief Election Commissioner Shri Gyanesh Kumar and Election Commissioners Dr. Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Dr. Vivek Joshi, met representatives from various political parties at Nirvachan Sadan to discuss and clarify the SIR 2025 process underway in Bihar.
The ECI assured that the revision is being conducted in a phased, structured, and inclusive manner, with the active participation of over 1.5 lakh Booth Level Agents (BLAs) appointed by political parties, ensuring transparency.
Key Phases of SIR 2025 in Bihar:
Phase 1 (25 June – 3 July):
Distribution of Enumeration Forms (EFs) to approx. 7.9 crore electors through 77,895 Booth Level Officers (BLOs). Additional 20,603 BLOs are being appointed. Pre-filled forms are based on the electoral roll as of 24 June 2025 and available online as well.
Phase 2 (Till 25 July):
Electors fill and submit the EFs. Nearly 4 lakh volunteers, including NCC/NSS and government officials, are assisting vulnerable groups such as the elderly, PwDs, and the poor.
Phase 3 (25 June – 26 July):
BLOs collect completed forms with required documents and upload data daily through BLO App/ECINET. Acknowledgment receipts are issued.
Phase 4 (1 August):
Publication of the Draft Electoral Roll. Only those who submit forms by 25 July will be included. Claims and objections can be filed afterward via Form 6.
Phase 5 (1 August – 1 September):
Public can file claims or raise objections. No deletion will occur without inquiry and notice. Final scrutiny is done under Article 326 and provisions of the RP Act, 1950.
Final Roll (30 September):
Final Electoral Roll published. Free copies shared with recognized political parties and available online. Appeals against ERO decisions can be made to the District Magistrate or the Chief Electoral Officer.
The ECI urged all political parties to appoint more BLAs and encouraged every eligible citizen in Bihar to actively participate to ensure no voter is left behind.
READ ECI PRESS NOTE HERE
Bihar SIR 2025 in Full Swing: Over 1.04 Crore Forms Collected
The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll in Bihar is progressing rapidly, with significant grassroots-level efforts by election officials, BLOs, volunteers, and political party agents.
As of 6 PM today, 1.04 crore Enumeration Forms (13.19% of the total 7.90 crore electors enrolled as of June 24, 2025) have been collected. Meanwhile, 93.57% of forms (around 7.39 crore) have already been distributed across the state.
A total of 77,895 Booth Level Officers (BLOs) are conducting door-to-door visits to assist electors with form-filling and submission. In many cases, BLOs are capturing and uploading live photos of electors, making the process more convenient. Partially pre-filled forms are also available online via the ECI portal and ECINET app, where electors can submit their filled forms themselves.
To ensure smooth execution, 20,603 more BLOs are being deployed. Nearly 4 lakh volunteers—including government officials, NCC cadets, and NSS members—are aiding senior citizens, PwDs, and other vulnerable groups.
Additionally, the process is being supported by 239 Electoral Registration Officers (EROs), 963 Assistant EROs, 38 District Election Officers (DEOs), and the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Bihar. Political parties have also appointed 1,54,977 Booth Level Agents (BLAs) who are actively assisting electors and ensuring transparency in the revision drive.
READ ECI PRESS NOTE HERE
Bihar SIR 2025: Initial Phase Successfully Completed; Over 1.69 Crore Forms Collected
The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Bihar is progressing smoothly, with the initial phase, focused on printing and distributing Enumeration Forms, now almost complete. Forms have been made available to all reachable electors, and the Election Commission has clarified that no changes have been made to the SIR guidelines issued on 24 June 2025, contrary to some circulating rumours.
As of 6 PM today, a total of 1.69 crore forms (21.46% of 7.90 crore electors) have been collected, including 65.32 lakh forms in the last 24 hours alone. With 19 days still remaining before the 25 July deadline, the pace of form submission continues to rise. Additionally, 7.25% of the forms have already been uploaded on the ECINET platform.
Electors can submit their documents anytime before 25 July, and if any documents are incomplete, the Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) will follow up during the claims and objections phase after the Draft Electoral Roll is published on 1 August 2025.
The process is being supported by:
- 77,895 BLOs, conducting door-to-door collection and uploading live photographs of electors.
- 20,603 additional BLOs being appointed to aid the process.
- 4 lakh volunteers, including government staff, NCC, NSS, helping the elderly, PwDs, and vulnerable citizens.
- 239 EROs, 963 AEROs, 38 DEOs, and the State CEO actively involved at the field level.
- 1,54,977 Booth Level Agents (BLAs) appointed by political parties are also playing a key role.
The ECI continues to encourage all eligible electors in Bihar to actively participate in this important electoral update exercise.
Case Title: Association for Democratic Reforms & Ors. versus Election Commission of India
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