The Election Commission of India (ECI) announced on Sunday that it has successfully collected documents from 98.2% of electors in Bihar as part of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the state’s electoral rolls. With eight days remaining in the claims and objections period, the Commission stated that efforts are underway to collect documents from the remaining 1.8% of voters.
The SIR, which began on June 24, involves the verification of documents for 7.24 crore electors listed in the draft rolls published on August 1. According to the ECI, documents from over 98% of electors have been collected in the past two months, averaging a daily collection rate of about 1.64%. The verification process is being overseen by 243 Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and 2,976 Assistant EROs.
This is the first time the ECI has released a consolidated, statewide figure on the number of documents received. The move comes after political parties and the Supreme Court raised concerns and sought clarity on the progress of the revision exercise, especially following the exclusion of around 65 lakh names from the initial draft rolls.
The Supreme Court, which is monitoring the process, had directed the Commission to upload the list of omitted names on district and state websites and to allow voters to establish their eligibility using Aadhaar or other specified identity documents. The ECI has complied with these directives and has asked the court to trust its ability to complete the revision within the scheduled timeline.
In addition to the document collection, the ECI has received over 120,000 claims and objections, with most submitted by electors within their own constituencies. The Commission also reported that over 328,000 new electors, who have recently turned 18, have submitted the required forms.
The ECI has maintained that the revision is a legally mandated exercise and has dismissed allegations of voter fraud as “false.” The claims and objections period will conclude on September 1, with the final electoral rolls for Bihar scheduled for publication on September 30.