Patna: Claiming a major electoral milestone, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar on Sunday announced that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise has "purified" Bihar’s voter list for the first time in 22 years, ahead of the upcoming state assembly elections. He also said a range of new initiatives have been introduced, aimed at strengthening transparency and voter convenience, many of which are set to be replicated across the country in the future.
Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar's Statements
Addressing a press conference during his two-day visit to Bihar, Kumar said the elections for the 243-member Assembly will be completed before its term ends on November 22. On whether the elections will be conducted in phases, Kumar said the Commission is still evaluating inputs. “We’ve heard from all political parties. Each suggestion has its pros and cons. The Election Commission will decide on the matter soon,” he said.
Among the new measures, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has rolled out a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to ensure EPIC (voter ID) cards are delivered within 15 days of registration, and introduced a mobile phone deposit facility at polling booths to enhance the voting experience. “We have undertaken 17 new initiatives across Bihar — some for the conduct of elections and others for the counting process. Many of these will be scaled nationally,” Kumar said.
Kumar highlighted the scale and success of the SIR, which was last conducted in 2003, saying that the updated voter list was the result of a massive ground-level effort involving 243 Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and over 90,000 BLOs. “This Special Intensive Revision exercise has cleaned and updated the voter rolls after 22 years,” Kumar said. “Around 65 lakh names were deleted earlier, and now an additional 3.66 lakh ineligible names have been removed. District Collectors have shared the updated lists with the presidents of all political parties.”
He emphasised that the SIR process is legal and mandated under the Representation of the People Act, countering criticism that the revision should have been postponed until after the elections. “To say the revision should be done after elections is unjustified. If there are any concerns regarding additions or deletions, individuals or parties can appeal to DM,” he stated. Kumar reassured voters and political parties that there is still time to file claims and objections.
“Any eligible voter who has been left out or any concern regarding ineligible names on the list can still file claims and objections up to ten days before the last date of nomination. These will be addressed at the ERO level. Once nominations close, the electoral roll will be frozen until the end of polling.” The CEC strongly urged candidates to ensure transparency by appointing polling agents who are present during mock polls, and to collect Form 17C after voting concludes. “Candidates must nominate their polling agents well in advance. These agents should witness the mock poll and collect the polling record in a transparent manner,” he advised.
