Election Commission releases final electoral roll in Bihar amid ongoing controversy

Guwahati: In a significant development ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections in Bihar, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has published the final voter list, concluding the contentious Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process.

The Commission launched the SIR exercise to update the electoral rolls by removing ineligible voters, such as those deceased, permanently relocated from Bihar, or registered in multiple constituencies, and including any missing eligible voters.

The revision, conducted for the first time in 22 years, led to the removal of approximately 65 lakh names from the draft rolls.

However, the timing and intent of the exercise sparked sharp criticism from opposition parties.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav led a ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’ across Bihar, accusing the Election Commission of aiding the ruling alliance by allegedly manipulating voter data just months before the elections.

Despite the controversy, the final electoral rolls show an increase in registered voters in several districts.

Muzaffarpur, for example, saw its voter count rise by 88,108, from 32,03,370 in the draft to 32,91,478 in the final list.

Patna registered an increase of 1,63,600 voters, while Nawada added 30,491 new names.

Voters can now verify their registration details on the official portal https://voters.eci.gov.in.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court is reviewing petitions challenging the legality of the SIR process.

During a hearing on September 8, the Court instructed the Election Commission to accept Aadhaar as a valid identity proof for voter registration, alongside 11 other accepted documents.

The court clarified, however, that Aadhaar cannot prove citizenship.

A bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and Joymlaya Bagchi acknowledged the Election Commission's role as a constitutional authority and expressed confidence in its adherence to legal protocols.

At the same time, the bench warned that it would not hesitate to nullify the process if it uncovered any irregularities.

Justice Kant noted during a follow-up hearing on September 15, "If we find any illegality, we will not consider the final publication of the list relevant."

The Supreme Court will resume hearing the case on October 7.

The Election Commission will visit Bihar on October 4 and 5 to assess poll preparedness.

Officials are expected to announce the election dates shortly after.