Election Commission Cites Migration, Non-Submission Of Forms As Reasons For 65 Lakh Missing Names In Bihar Draft Voter List

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has revealed key findings from the enumeration phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, conducted between 24 and 25 June 2025.

According to the data, details of around 65 lakh electors could not be verified during the exercise.

The ECI said Booth Level Officers (BLOs) reported that these individuals either registered as voters in other states or Union Territories, were not found in existence, failed to submit their enumeration forms by the deadline, or declined to register for unspecified reasons.

According to ECI's data, the gap of 65 lakh electors is attributed to 22 lakh deceased individuals, 36 lakh who have either permanently shifted from Bihar or were not found, and the remaining 7 lakh who were enrolled in multiple places.

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The Commission emphasised that the primary goal of the SIR is to ensure that “no eligible elector is left behind and no ineligible elector gets included” in the rolls.

It added that genuine electors whose names may have been left out can still be added back during the Claims and Objections period from 1 August to September 2025.

In cases where an elector’s name was found registered in more than one location, the ECI clarified that it would be retained only at one place.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Friday (8 August) reiterated that no political party has submitted any claim or objection regarding the draft electoral rolls in Bihar.

More than a week has passed since the Commission invited submissions to address errors in the draft rolls, which were published on 1 August.

The ECI has consistently maintained that its aim is to ensure “no eligible elector is left out and no ineligible elector is included” in the state’s final electoral list.

According to the Commission’s daily bulletin on the ongoing Special Intensive Revision of Bihar’s electoral roll, a total of 6,257 claims and objections have so far been received, all directly from individual electors.

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