Addressing the media, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Kumar stated that the Election Commission of India (ECI) has already decided to conduct the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls throughout the country. The commission had previously declared in its June 24 order that the SIR would be conducted nationwide.
Commenting on the Bihar election process, the CEC highlighted that the electors actively participated in the purification of the voter lists. The final voter list, after the completion of the SIR, has been shared with all political parties. After the date of nomination filing, the voter list to be released will be considered final. He reiterated that the electors of Bihar fully engaged in the process of cleaning and updating the voter rolls in the state.
Earlier, on October 5, CEC Kumar had defended the commission’s decision to conduct the SIR before the elections, dismissing suggestions to delay it until after the polls as unjustified. He clarified that the SIR is both legal and mandated under the Representation of the People Act.
Quoting the Act, Kumar explained, “If you go by the Representation of the People Act, it is legal for the Election Commission to conduct the revision before every election and it is required to do so under the law. For someone to say that the revision should be conducted after the elections is unjustified.”
Following the completion of the SIR, the Election Commission published the final electoral roll for Bihar. The total number of electors now stands at 7.42 crore, down from 7.89 crore as of June 24. According to an EC press release, 65 lakh voters were removed from the draft list, while 21.53 lakh eligible electors were added, bringing the final total to 7.42 crore.
In Patna alone, 1.63 lakh electors were added across 14 assembly constituencies.
Looking ahead to the upcoming elections, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is set to face a strong challenge from the opposition INDIA bloc. This alliance includes key parties such as Tejashwi Yadav’s Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Congress, the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) led by Deepankar Bhattacharya, CPI, CPM, and Mukesh Sahani’s Vikasheel Insaan Party (VIP).
The elections will also witness the entry of a new contender, Prashant Kishor, along with his party Jan Suraaj, adding further dynamics to the electoral contest.
https://www.mid-day.com/news/india-news/article/bihar-election-2025-special-intensive-revision-exercise-to-be-held-nationwide-says-election-commission-23597485
