Ahead of the Supreme Court hearing on Bihar’s ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR), the Election Commission of India on Sunday outlined 10 objectives of the exercise. The last two-crucial at this stage-will come into play with the publication of the draft electoral roll on August 1, when names of lakhs of “missing electors” are expected to be omitted.
The ninth and tenth objectives outlined by the ECI are crucial as they pertain to the scrutiny of the draft roll and the process for deletions from it. With this phase, responsibility now shifts from Booth Level Officers (BLOs) to Electoral Registration Officers (EROs).
ERO in action
The ECI said 243 Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and 2,976 Assistant EROs are in place to scrutinise and decide on claims and objections for inclusion or deletion of voters, with 1,470 AEROs additionally notified for the Bihar SIR on 8 July 2025.
No name can be deleted from the draft roll without prior notice and a speaking order, and appeals may be made to the district magistrate or chief electoral officer. Volunteers are being trained to help file appeals, with a standard format to be widely circulated, the ECI said.
The missing electors
The ECI received forms from 91.69% of Bihar’s electors-about 7.24 cr-but nearly 65L may be missing from the draft roll, including 22L found deceased. Another seven lakh were enrolled at multiple locations, with names to be retained only at one valid address.
A key concern is 36 lakh voters (4.59%) marked as permanently shifted or untraceable, as BLOs couldn’t locate them or collect forms. The ECI believes they may have registered elsewhere or don’t exist. Some voters may have missed the 25 July deadline, while others may be unwilling to register. Their exact status will be clear after ERO/AERO scrutiny by 1 August 2025. Genuine voters can still be added during the claims and objections period from August 1 to September 1, the ECI said.
The final call
Once the draft electoral roll is published on August 1, booth-wise copies of the same will be given to all the 12 parties in Bihar and also published on the CEO’s website. From August 1 to September 1, any elector or any political party may file for claims and objections to the concerned ERO for inclusion of any eligible elector who is left out, or removal of any ineligible elector from the draft electoral roll.
The final electoral roll will be published on September 30 after all claims and objections are addressed.
