Bihar SIR: Nearly 92% voters submit enumeration forms
What's the story
The Election Commission (EC) of India has announced that nearly 92% of voters in Bihar have submitted their enumeration forms. The data was collected during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise for the state's electoral rolls. Out of a total of 7.89 crore voters, over seven crore (91.69%) submitted their forms by July 25, when the first phase ended.
Roll publication
Draft electoral roll to be published on August 1
The EC will publish a draft electoral roll on August 1, which will not be the final voters' list. The final list will be published on September 30. This revision exercise is aimed at including eligible electors and excluding those who are ineligible. There is a one-month period from August 1 to September 1 for claims and objections regarding wrongful inclusions or exclusions of voters' names.
Twitter Post
Key findings of enumeration
Bihar SIR: Key Findings of Enumeration Phase (24 June-25 July 2025)
— PIB India (@PIB_India) July 28, 2025
➡️First Aim of SIR: Participation of all Electors and all Political Parties
✴️Out of 7.89 crore electors as on 24.06.2025, over 7.24 crore electors have submitted their Enumeration Forms indicating overwhelming… pic.twitter.com/es3TBY2T9L
Criticism and defense
Opposition INDIA bloc criticizes SIR
The opposition INDIA bloc has criticized the SIR, alleging it could disenfranchise nearly two crore people. They alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would benefit from this exercise by targeting those opposed to the ruling alliance. However, the EC has defended its process, saying political parties can check with their booth-level agents on progress made during this revision exercise.
Voter inclusion
Genuine electors can still be added back into rolls
The EC also said it has made special efforts to ensure that no eligible voter in Bihar is left out of the electoral rolls. This includes increasing the number of Booth Level Agents (BLAs) by 16% during the SIR period. The commission also emphasized that genuine electors can still be added back into the electoral rolls during the Claims and Objections period from August 1 to September 1.