No Bihar voter to be removed from rolls without notice: Poll body to top court

The Election Commission has filed a fresh affidavit in the Supreme Court regarding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar, stating that no names will be deleted from the list without prior notice to the individual and an opportunity to be heard. The poll body assured that it will strictly adhere to the principles of natural justice in the process.

"As a matter of policy and in strict adherence to the principles of natural justice, no deletion of any elector's name from the draft electoral roll, published on 1st August 2025, shall be undertaken without issuance of a prior notice to the concerned elector indicating the proposed deletion and the grounds thereof, affording a reasonable opportunity of being heard and furnishing relevant documents, and passing of a reasoned and speaking order by the competent authority," the commission said in its affidavit.

The electoral roll revision has run into legal trouble, with the Opposition alleging that the process, undertaken ahead of the upcoming state assembly elections, could disenfranchise lakhs of genuine voters, particularly from marginalised communities, by imposing stringent and arbitrary documentation requirements. They call it a 'vote theft' orchestrated by the BJP.

The Election Commission submitted that it is taking all possible measures to ensure no eligible voter is excluded from the electoral roll. It added that a two-tier appeal mechanism is in place to provide every voter with adequate recourse against any adverse action.

"Even in cases in which any vulnerable elector does not presently possess any documents, he/she would be facilitated in the process of obtaining such documents," the Commission, also noting that, "Out of 7.89 crore electors, over 7.24 crore submitted their enumeration forms".

It added that, to facilitate thorough scrutiny of the draft roll from August 1 to September 1, printed and digital copies have been provided to political parties, along with an online facility for the general public.

The poll body, in its affidavit, outlined a multi-pronged strategy to maximise voter participation, including extensive awareness campaigns, repeated visits by Booth Level Officers (BLOs) to engage local residents, and other targeted initiatives.

"To ensure that no eligible elector in Bihar is left behind, awareness campaigns through SMS, meetings, and repeated BLO visits were conducted... To ensure that no temporary migrant from Bihar is excluded, advertisements in Hindi were issued in 246 newspapers... To ensure that no urban elector is left out, special urban camps were organised in all 261 urban local bodies," the Commission told the top court.

Focusing on young voters who will attain the qualifying age on or before October 1, it added that advance applications are being accepted, with special campaigns planned during the claims and objections period.

While several pleas have been filed in the Supreme Court against the voter list revision, the Election Commission maintains that the SIR is a routine and necessary exercise to ensure the integrity of the electoral rolls by removing deceased, duplicate, or permanently shifted voters.

The 2025 Bihar Legislative Assembly election for all 243 constituencies is expected to be held in October or November this year.

- Ends