Bihar: 1.4mn voters added in post-SIR roll in one year

Bihar’s electoral roll expanded by approximately 1.4 million names within one year following the completion of the special intensive revision process. State election officials confirmed that the current voter list, finalized on October 1, contains 75.5 million registered electors. This figure represents a net gain of 1.4 million over the 74.1 million voters recorded in the roll published on September 30 of the previous year. The surge occurred despite the absence of immediate upcoming general elections, with officials attributing the increase to routine enrollment activities and the return of previously delisted individuals. During this twelve-month period, nearly 1.87 million applicants submitted Form 6, the statutory document required under the Registration of Electors Rules of 1960 for new voter inclusion. Of these submissions, 1.4 million resulted in successful enrollment. Officials noted that enrollment numbers typically rise in election years and decline afterward. Historical data supports this pattern, showing a jump of 4.19 million voters in 2023-24 during Lok Sabha elections and 4.14 million in 2024-25 during state assembly polls. In contrast, the increase was 1.3 million in 2022-23 and 2.45 million in 2025-26. The recent additions include first-time young voters, returning citizens, and new registrants. Most applications were processed online via the Election Commission of India portal, according to booth-level officers. The expansion follows a rigorous three-month special intensive revision conducted between June 25 and September 30, 2025. This was the first such exercise in the country for the current cycle. Initially, 6.56 million names were removed from the pre-revision count of 78.9 million. These removals comprised 2.23 million deceased voters, 3.64 million who had relocated, and 0.68 million duplicate entries. A subsequent one-month scrutiny phase allowed for claims and objections. During this window, 2.15 million voters were reinstated or added, while another 0.36 million were deleted, settling the total at 74.1 million. Since that date, no further summary revisions have taken place in the state. Amidst the broader statistical growth, specific concerns regarding data integrity have emerged ahead of the October 23 elections for eight Member of Legislative Council seats. Four seats are reserved for teachers and four for graduates. Scrutiny has focused heavily on the Patna Teachers constituency, which spans Patna, Nawada, and Nalanda districts and includes 11,719 voters. Several educational institutions have filed complaints alleging fraudulent entries on the electoral roll. Patna Science College reported that five individuals listed as its staff were not actually employed there, while three genuine faculty members were omitted from the final list. Principal Alka Kumari stated that her request to correct these errors was rejected because the voter list had already been finalized on September 29. Other institutions raised similar alarms. Sant Kabir Mahant Vidyanand Ayurvedic Pharmacy in Fatuha was found locked during two government inspections on July 4 and July 21, yet 49 names appeared on the roll as teachers from that institution. An official from the Patna registration office acknowledged sending a letter to the college principal on August 19 regarding the closures but could not explain why the names remained. Another nearby college with a similar name submitted an undertaking listing 17 eligible teachers, but the roll shows 33 voters associated with it. ST College of Education in Phulwari Sharif claimed that none of the 32 people enrolled under its name worked there, yet all 32 names persisted in the final records. Similarly, Jagataran Kuwar Private ITI in Naubatpur declared in April that all 20 registered names were invalid, but no corrections were made. Awadhesh Prasad Mahavidyalaya in Masaurhi identified a fake voter list letter issued in its name and noted that six unrelated individuals were listed instead of its single eligible teacher. Registration for these specific council seats requires distinct documentation. Form 19 for teachers mandates three years of teaching experience at an institution of secondary standard or higher. Form 18 for graduates requires proof of a recognized degree and residence. Booth-level officers handle the initial verification of documents before forwarding recommendations to the Electoral Registration Officer. In Kishanganj, one officer reviewed 3,600 applications and recommended 636 for inclusion, while investigating seven potential duplicates flagged by demographic similarity software. In Patna, a different officer handled only 24 applications over the same period. The Election Commission recently instructed state authorities that applicants need not submit separate declarations detailing parental links to previous rolls, streamlining the Form 6 submission process.