EC’s draft electoral rolls out in Bihar; 7.24 cr voters enlisted, over 65 lakh names dropped

PATNA/NEW DELHI, Aug 1: The Election Commission on Friday came out with the much-anticipated ‘draft electoral rolls’ in Bihar, enlisting 7.24 crore voters but knocking off more than 65 lakh names, claiming that most of the persons concerned had died or migrated.
The draft electoral rolls, prepared as part of the special intensive revision (SIR), which has caused much controversy as the exercise was ordered with just a few months left for assembly polls, are available for voters online.The EC has also said it was making available printed copies, district wise, to representatives of political parties so that anomalies, if any, could be flagged during the ‘claims and objections’ phase, which would continue till September 1 before the ‘final rolls’ are published.
However, the main opposition party, the RJD, was unhappy with the system and in a memorandum, submitted to the Chief Electoral Officer of Bihar, it demanded an ‘assembly segment-wise’ break-up conveniently downloaded “in a pen drive or on a CD”.
The Congress, which is the second-largest constituent of the INDIA bloc in the state, also challenged the EC to disclose “how many foreign nationals” were found to have been included in the voters’ list prior to SIR and whether they have been dropped in the ‘draft electoral rolls’. Notably, the BJP-led NDA, which rules the Centre as well as the state, has been alleging that “a large number of Bangladeshis and Rohingyas” were living in Bihar, especially in the Kosi-Seemanchal region bordering Nepal and Bangladesh.
Leaders of the ruling coalition have also been claiming that many such “illegal immigrants” had been registered as voters and the deletion of their names was being opposed by the INDIA bloc because of “vote bank” concerns.The EC also came out with a district-wise break-up of the number of voters registered prior to the commencement of SIR. Patna, which houses the state capital, accounted for the highest number of 50.04 lakh voters registered “as on 24.06.2025” and the district also saw submission of 46.51 lakh “enumeration forms”. (PTI)