Today, July 25, 2025 is the last and final day for the voters to submit their verification forms under the Election Commission of India's (ECI) Special Intensive Revision (SIR) drive.
With over 7.89 crore registered voters in the state, the scale of this effort is unprecedented. As of July 24, nearly 15 lakh forms were pending, 20 lakh voters had been found deceased, 28 lakh had permanently moved away, and 7 lakh were registered in more than one location. About 1 lakh couldn’t be traced, The Hindu reported.
Booth Level Officers (BLOs) visited voters with pre-filled forms, house-to-house for voter verification. Missing people were given an option to submit their verifications via WhatsApp, but missing today's deadline would mean their name will not be on the draft list that is expected to be published on August 1, 2025.
From August 1 to September 1, voters can file claims or objections before the final list is released ahead of the Bihar Assembly election.
The opposition parties have criticised the SIR, saying that legitimate voters, especially migrant workers, the poor and the uneducated, who may not have formal documents proving their identity and date of birth will end up excluded. They also say that Aadhaar, though widely used, is not a valid proof of eligibility to vote, reported The Hindu.
Bihar is the first state where the number of electors in each polling station is going to be less than 1,200 as per the Election Commission of India (ECI).
This announcement is part of a broader nationwide effort to improve voter access and reduce crowding at polling booths ahead of elections, it has said.
The Commission is also focused on ensuring that voters do not have to travel more than 2 kilometres to reach their assigned voting booths, wherever possible.
