Bihar’s Final Voter List: What the Update Entails
The Election Commission of India (ECI) released the final Bihar voter list ahead of the upcoming assembly elections in November. According to the Special Information and Revision (SIR) exercise, around 68.5 lakh voters were removed from the rolls, bringing the total count down to 7.42 crore. In the same update, 21.53 lakh new voters were added, while 3.66 lakh names were also struck off from the final list during the ongoing revision process. The consolidated picture shows that the number of registered voters in Bihar remains high, but with notable churn as records are cleaned and new eligible citizens are included.
Numbers at a Glance: What Changed?
From a base of 7.89 crore voters on June 24, the final list announced this week reflects the exclusions and additions that come with annual and revisionary polls planning. The EC notes that the final printing of the voter list can see minor adjustments after the declaration, as addenda or supplementary lists are issued in line with further verification results at the polling booth level. The 1955 Citizenship Act framework underpins these checks, with the 1987 to 2004 birth cohorts required to submit documentary proof of citizenship and other eligibility criteria under the revised process.
Patna District: A Surge in New Voter Entries
Among districts, Patna saw the most significant uptick, with 1.63 lakh new voters added to the rolls. In total, the Patna district now reports 48.15 lakh registered voters as of the latest update, spread across 14 assembly segments. The demographic mix includes 22.75 lakh female voters, signaling continued gender parity in registration efforts. The Digha assembly segment recorded the highest single-segment increase, with around 4.56 lakh new voters—an indicator of ongoing urbanization and population movement in the capital region.
The Legal and Political Context
The ECI has framed the ongoing voter-list exercise as a part of routine, law-based citizenship verification and eligibility checks. Opposition parties have criticized the process as a de facto citizenship verification exercise, alleging political motives behind the deletions and the criteria used for inclusion. The EC, for its part, says the SCR is a statutory mechanism to ensure accuracy, eliminate duplicates, and reflect changes in demographics, migration, and residency. Several petitions have been filed in the Supreme Court challenging the legal grounding of the SCR, though the court has yet to rule on the broader questions of the act and its constitutional compatibility. A key point of contention remains whether citizenship verification, or the absence thereof in Form-6, aligns with Article 326 and the provisions of the Citizenship Act, 1955.
What Voters Need to Know Now
Citizens listed in the final voter list should verify their details with local election officials and carry any necessary documents to the polling booth. The EC notes that changes can still occur through supplementary lists announced after the main declaration, so voters are advised to stay alert for notices from their booth-level officers. For residents born between July 1, 1987 and December 2, 2004, the policy requires submitting documents that establish citizenship and eligibility, in line with the SCR’s implementation. While the law lays down these conditions, the ongoing debates and petitions emphasize the importance of transparent processes and timely communication to voters as elections approach.
Looking Ahead: The Road to the Bihar Elections
With the final Bihar voter list now in place, the EC is likely to issue supplementary updates as polling dates near. The focus will be on ensuring that eligible voters exercise their franchise while ensuring that the list remains free from duplicates, non-residents, and ineligible names. The Patna surge highlights the dynamic nature of urban voter registration, while other districts may show different patterns of churn based on migration, education, and outreach efforts. As political parties sharpen their campaigns for the November polls, the efficiency and fairness of the voter-list update will remain a central theme in Bihar’s electoral discourse.
