Bihar Eases Voter Registration Rules Amid Electoral Roll Revision
Changes to Voter Registration Process Announced
On Sunday, the chief electoral officer of Bihar revealed a significant adjustment to the ongoing special intensive revision of the state's electoral rolls. Voters can now submit their completed enumeration forms without needing to provide all the necessary documentation.
Booth-level officials have been directed to accept and upload all signed forms, allowing voters to submit supporting documents at a later date, as reported by a local news outlet.
The Election Commission initiated this special intensive revision of electoral rolls in Bihar on June 24, in preparation for the upcoming Assembly elections anticipated in October or November.
As part of this initiative, individuals whose names were absent from the 2003 voter list must provide proof of their eligibility to vote. This requirement affects approximately 2.9 crore of the state's 7.8 crore voters, which translates to around 37% of the electorate needing to submit documentation.
Recently, eleven parties from the INDIA bloc expressed concerns to the Election Commission, warning that this process could disenfranchise over 2.5 crore voters who may struggle to produce the required documents.
Although the Election Commission has not released any new directives, the announcement from the Bihar chief electoral officer appears to be a response to ongoing objections from opposition leaders and public concerns regarding document submission, especially with the July 26 deadline approaching.
In a public notice published in Hindi newspapers across the state, the Bihar chief electoral officer's office encouraged residents to complete and submit their enumeration forms along with the necessary documents and photographs as soon as possible.
The notice emphasized that providing the required documents would facilitate the electoral registration officer's processing of applications. If voters cannot provide the necessary documentation, the officer may make decisions based on local investigations or other available evidence.
The guidelines for the special intensive revision previously stated that voters born before July 1, 1987, must show proof of their date and place of birth. Those born between July 1, 1987, and December 2, 2004, must also provide documentation verifying the date and place of birth of at least one parent. Voters born after December 2, 2004, need to submit proof of their own date of birth as well as that of both parents.
The deadline for submitting these forms is set for July 26.
If electoral registration officers find the provided details satisfactory, voters will be re-enrolled in a new voter list. Conversely, those who do not meet the requirements will be removed from the voter lists.
A draft of the electoral rolls is scheduled for publication on August 1, with the final version to be released on September 30.
The draft electoral rolls will include the names of current voters who have submitted their enumeration forms, according to the Bihar chief electoral officer's announcement.
The poll officer has also instructed district magistrates to maximize the collection of forms to ensure a higher number of voters are included in the draft publication, as reported by a local news outlet.
The instructions noted that booth-level officers are already familiar with about 90% of their voters, and forms should be uploaded for all voters except those who have passed away or permanently migrated.
Legal Challenges to Voter Roll Revision
On Saturday, Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra filed a petition in the Supreme Court contesting the Election Commission's revision of electoral rolls in Bihar.
In her writ petition, she argued that this move could lead to widespread disenfranchisement of eligible voters, thereby threatening democracy and the integrity of free and fair elections.
Moitra also requested the court to prevent the Election Commission from implementing similar revisions in other states.
Just filed writ petition in Supreme Court challenging @ECISVEEP notification to conduct SIR in Bihar & seeking a stay on conducting the same in other states including Bengal pic.twitter.com/Mawp9ZrgzQ
— Mahua Moitra (@MahuaMoitra) July 5, 2025
The People's Union for Civil Liberties, a human rights organization, has also filed a petition, labeling the Election Commission's directive for a nationwide special intensive revision, starting with Bihar, as arbitrary and unlawful.
The organization stated that this process undermines fundamental democratic principles.
"An illegal exercise, also hastily conducted to cover a population of almost 8 crore, is likely to result in the exclusion of voters and thereby defeat democracy using the very tools of democracy," it asserted.
The Association for Democratic Reforms has similarly approached the Supreme Court, arguing that the Election Commission's order is arbitrary and could disenfranchise millions of voters.