The Election Commission of India (ECI) is set to release Bihar’s draft electoral rolls today, August 1, 2025, following a contentious Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise concluded on July 25. The month-long process, aimed at updating voter lists for the upcoming Assembly elections, has ignited fears of widespread voter disenfranchisement, prompting Supreme Court scrutiny and opposition protests.

The ECI reported 7.93 crore registered voters in Bihar before the SIR began on June 24. Voters were required to submit enumeration forms with identity proof, either through booth-level officers (BLOs) or online. Of these, 7.23 crore forms were submitted, but 35 lakh voters were flagged as “permanently migrated or untraceable,” 22 lakh as deceased, and 7 lakh for multiple registrations. An additional 1.2 lakh failed to submit forms, risking exclusion from the draft rolls. The exercise involved 77,895 polling centers, 1.60 lakh booth-level agents, and 243 Electoral Registration Officers (EROs).

Critics, including CPI(ML) Liberation’s Dipankar Bhattacharya and RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav, allege the SIR could exclude up to 65 lakh voters, favoring the ruling NDA coalition. Yadav threatened an election boycott, while petitioners, including the Association for Democratic Reforms, challenged the SIR in the Supreme Court, arguing it violates voting rights by demanding stringent documentation like birth certificates, often unavailable to Bihar’s poor and migrant population. The court, on July 29, warned it would intervene if “mass exclusion” occurs, scheduling hearings for August 12-13.

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The ECI’s July 6 relaxation, allowing form submission without immediate documents, was criticized as “deceptive” by opposition leaders like Congress’s Mallikarjun Kharge, who feared discretionary powers given to EROs could enable arbitrary exclusions. A claims and objections period, open until September 1, allows voters to contest deletions, with the final rolls due by September 30. Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar urged public participation to ensure inclusivity.

The controversy has deepened mistrust, with opposition leaders like Manoj Jha warning the SIR resembles a “votebandi” akin to demonetization. As Bihar braces for elections, the draft rolls’ release marks a critical test for democratic fairness.

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