What is the SIR Electoral Roll and Why is it Important?

What is SIR Electoral Roll Bihar: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has finally completed Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the state's electoral rolls. The controversy behind this decision can now be heard in the parliament, with the monsoon session going on.

The SIR's effort is to "ensure that no eligible citizen is left out while no ineligible person is included in the Electoral Roll." As per the notification, the new electoral roll will only be released after claims and objections have been resolved.

As of October 28, 2025, the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the Bihar electoral roll has concluded with the final rolls published, reducing the electorate to 7.42 crore after the removal of approximately 47 lakh names and the addition of over 21 lakh new voters.

The Election Commission reported that all claims and objections were resolved, with district-wise deleted voter lists displayed and appeal rights granted, though some deletions especially in districts like Supaul and Kishanganj remain under Supreme Court scrutiny for transparency. Political debate continues, but the EC has called the process both exemplary and inclusive ahead of the assembly polls

What is the SIR Electoral Roll?

House-to-house enumeration is used to prepare new electoral rolls as part of an extensive revision. Without consulting current rolls, enumerators visit each home to list eligible voters as of a qualifying date.

This is carried out when the ECI concludes that the current rolls need to be completely rebuilt or are erroneous. This usually happens prior to significant elections or following administrative procedures like constituency delimitation.

Key Features and Objectives of the Second Phase of SIR Electoral Roll

The second phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Electoral Rolls, announced on October 27, 2025, is for 12 states and Union Territories: Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Goa, Puducherry, Lakshadweep, and Andaman & Nicobar Islands.

Draft rolls will be published on 9 December 2025, marking a period during which citizens can file claims and objections until 8 January 2026. Requirements for current voters have been streamlined—those on the 2003 roll hardly ever need to produce new documents. New voters or those without earlier registration will need simple identification like Aadhaar and a recent photograph. Booth Level Officers are actively approaching eligible voters and dispensing forms so that no eligible voter is left behind. Final electoral rolls are to be released on February 7, 2026.

This stage is estimated to impact over 510 million voters, with particular care for full inclusion and openness throughout the revision and verification process. Special states such as Assam will see the SIR revision processed independently later in accordance with special state citizenship requirements.

SIR Electoral Roll in Bihar Latest Updates:

Check for the latest updates regarding the SIR Electoral Roll process being carried out in Bihar for the upcoming legislative assembly election:

• October 28th,2025: In the aftermath of the first phase of SIR in Bihar, the Election Commission has released the final electoral roll on September 30, 2025, with the number of electors now standing at 7.42 crore—a decrease of around 47 lakh from pre-SIR figures.
• The EC made it clear that while 65 lakh deletions were done in the first draft, the final roll included more than 21 lakh new voters and deleted an additional 3.66 lakh names during the following claims and objections phase. Some of them were deleted because of deaths, shifts, and double entries, and approximately 10,000 deletions did not have precise reasons, most of which are focused in some districts such as Supaul and Kishanganj.

• August 24, 2025: On Sunday, August 24, 2025, the Election Commission of India (ECI) declared that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the Bihar electoral registers is proceeding according to plan. According to the election board, in just 60 days, it got documents from 98.2% of the State's 7.24 crore voters. The remaining 1.8% of voters have eight days to correct errors in the draft electoral rolls released on August 1 and to provide the necessary paperwork that was missing during enumeration. According to the ECI, 1.64% of voters turned in paperwork every day.
• August 18, 2025: The list of 65 lakh voters whose names were deleted from the Bihar draft electoral roll following the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process was uploaded by the Indian Election Commission on August 1. The list of voters whose names were on the Bihar voter list through 2025 but were left off of the draft roll has been posted on the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Bihar's official website. People can check their names on the official website and share their grievances with the ECI officers.
• August 11, 2025: The Supreme Court has been informed by the Election Commission of India (ECI) that it is not required by law to compile or publish a separate list of the almost 6.5 million names that are not on Bihar's draft electoral rolls or to provide an explanation for their exclusion. This reply was in response to a petition filed by an NGO, ADR (Association for Democratic Reforms).
• August 1, 2025: After completing a month-long Special Intensive Revision (SIR) effort in preparation for the next Assembly elections, the Election Commission (EC) has released the first draft electoral rolls for Bihar on Friday. Additionally, this would initiate the "claims and objections" procedure, which would run until September 1 and allow voters to file complaints about names being wrongfully deleted to seek redress from the relevant authorities. Approximately 65 lakh lakh voters are expected to be removed from the list

Why in the News?

The first phase of the SIR electoral roll has finally been completed, as announced by the ECI. During the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral lists, the Election Commission of India (ECI) disclosed that more than 52.3 lakh voters in the state of Bihar, which is set to go to polls, could not be located at their registered locations.

These 52.3 lakh cases, or 6.62% of Bihar's total electorate of 7.89 crore, fall under a number of categories, including duplicate enrollments, permanently moved individuals, deceased voters, and those who are totally untraceable, according to the data provided by ECI.

Previously, on Thursday, July 10, the Supreme Court recommended that the Election Commission of India (ECI) consider allowing Aadhaar, voter ID cards, and ration cards as legitimate documents for updating the rolls. The Supreme Court declined to stop the ECI from proceeding with its Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in Bihar.

The ECI's new requirement that even current voters, if enrolled after 2003, provide documentary proof to establish their date and/or place of birth, which is then used to determine citizenship, has met with widespread political opposition and significant confusion on the ground in the state that is headed to the polls.

ALSO READ: What is ASD List? How to Check Your Name if Deleted from Draft Electoral Rolls (Direct Link)

How will ECI update Bihar Voter List?

ECI will be updating the voter list of Bihar by following the given steps:

• Trained Booth Level Officers (BLO) will go door-to-door and assist current voters (4.89 crore) in filling out enumeration forms. Additionally, BLOs will gather enumeration forms and provide recommendations on each one. Submissions must be made by July 25, 2025.

• The boundaries of constituencies will be finalized, and polling places will be rearranged as needed. There should ideally be no more than 1200 voters in each polling station.

• A draft electoral roll will be released on August 1, 2025, and electoral rolls will be updated in accordance with completed enumeration forms.

• Anyone with claims or objections to the draft electoral rolls may submit them between August 1 and September 1.

• A judgment regarding completed enumeration forms and submitted claims will be made by September 25.

• On September 30, 2025, the database will be updated with the final electoral roll.

Voter List last Updated in 2003

According to the ECI, similar SIRs were previously carried out in all or some regions of the nation for the purpose of preparing new electoral rolls in 1952–56, 1957, 1961, 1965, 1966, 1983–84, 1987–89, 1992, 1993, 1995, 2002, 2003, and 2004.

The most recent SIR in Bihar was carried out in 2003. Similar to the current drive, the SIR was completed in 31 days without the use of modern technology. In 2005, the electoral rolls were also updated in accordance with the usual cycle prior to the polls. The Bihar EC eliminated people with non-bailable warrants who were included on the electoral rolls after discovering 70,000 "duplicate names" in Patna alone.

ALSO READ: SIR Electoral Roll Bihar: Excluded from the List? Here’s How You Can File an Objection

The list of 65 lakh voters whose names were deleted from the Bihar draft electoral roll following the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process was uploaded by the Indian Election Commission on August 1.

The list of voters whose names were on the Bihar voter list through 2025 but were left off of the draft roll has been posted on the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Bihar's official website.