Bihar Elections 2025: 80 Lakh Voters Missing From Rolls After Controversial Revision, Raising Fears Of Large-Scale Disenfranchisement

The Election Commission’s announcement of the Bihar Assembly elections has finally ended weeks of speculation. The 243 constituencies will go to the polls in two phases on November 6 and 11, with counting scheduled for November 14. By-elections to eight constituencies across seven states will also be held.

Yet, the focus is not on the schedule but on the process that preceded it—the controversial Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, which has triggered more doubts than confidence. Ordinarily, Bihar should have had 8.22 crore registered voters. But the final rolls show only 7.42 crore—a staggering shortfall of nearly 80 lakh names.

This massive deletion has caused alarm across the political spectrum. Reports suggest that women voters have seen their representation fall sharply, while Muslim voters faced disproportionate exclusions.

Far from being “purified”, the rolls reportedly contain gibberish names, duplicates, and invalid entries. The very purpose of the SIR—to improve accuracy—appears to have been undermined by poor execution and lack of transparency.

The secrecy surrounding the entire exercise has added to public mistrust. The Election Commission’s own manual mandates open verification, public display, and correction of draft lists. None of these steps were followed with due diligence. In a democracy, the voter’s name on the electoral roll is the first symbol of citizenship.

To erase it arbitrarily is to disenfranchise the very people whose will constitutes the republic. This flawed revision has immense electoral implications. For instance, in the last Assembly election, at least 35 seats were decided by margins of less than 3,000 votes. With 80 lakh names missing, even minor irregularities could tilt the balance in dozens of constituencies. No wonder people are anxious about how the SIR will affect the outcome.

Politically, the Bihar election is a high-stakes battle. Though Chief Minister Nitish Kumar leads the NDA on paper, the campaign will revolve around Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The BJP faces a dilemma: it wants victory but is wary of returning Nitish Kumar to power. The absence of a unifying state leader, like the late Sushil Modi, compounds its discomfort.

On the other hand, the INDIA alliance hopes to capitalise on anti-incumbency but has struggled to sustain the enthusiasm it generated during the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, notwithstanding Rahul Gandhi’s Vote Chori march. The stakes go far beyond Bihar. The outcome will influence political trends in states like Kerala and Tamil Nadu, where elections are due next year.

More importantly, it will test whether the Election Commission can still function as an impartial guardian of democracy. For the sake of public faith, the ECI must urgently restore transparency, correct errors, and reassure voters that every genuine citizen’s name counts—and that every vote will count equally.

Published on: Wednesday, October 08, 2025, 04:03 AM IST