No eligible voter in Bihar will be removed from the electoral rolls published on August 1, without prior notice to the individual, an opportunity to be heard, and a reasoned order, the Election Commission of India (EC) told the Supreme Court.
In a fresh affidavit filed in the top court on Saturday regarding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar, the body assured that all efforts are being made to include every eligible voter in the final list, with "strict instructions" issued to prevent wrongful deletions during the ongoing SIR.
The affidavit comes after the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) alleged wrongful exclusion of 65 eligible voters. On August 6, the Supreme Court had directed the poll body to submit its response, with the matter scheduled for hearing on August 13.
'No deletion of any elector's name without notice'
"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: (i) issuance of a prior notice to the concerned elector indicating the proposed deletion and the grounds thereof, (ii) affording a reasonable opportunity of being heard and furnishing relevant documents, and (iii) passing of a reasoned and speaking order by the competent authority," the Election Commission said in its affidavit.
"These safeguards are further reinforced by a robust two-tier appeal mechanism prescribed under the relevant rules, thereby ensuring that every elector has adequate recourse against any adverse action," it added.
The Election Commission further submitted that it is taking all possible measures to ensure that no eligible elector is excluded from the electoral roll. "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 said, adding that, "Out of 7.89 crore electors, over 7.24 crore submitted their enumeration forms."
EC shared the list of those who didn’t submit forms with BLAs
It further said 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 Commission further stated that it shared the list of electors whose enumeration forms had not been received during the SIR with Booth Level Agents (BLAs) of recognised political parties even before publishing the draft roll.
"The Commission, in an effort to ensure inclusion of every eligible elector whose enumeration forms had not been received, caused the list of such electors be shared with Booth Level Agents of the recognised political parties by 20th July 2025 itself…so that, in cases where such entries required reconsideration, appropriate corrective action could be taken and the names included in the draft roll," it said in the affidavit.
"Subsequently, upon noting the proactive efforts of the political parties, updated lists were again shared with their representatives for further follow-up," it added.
The commission pointed out that it had issued a detailed press note dated 27.07.2025, placing in the public domain the progress of the SIR. "To ensure that no eligible elector in Bihar is left behind, awareness campaigns through SMS, meetings, and repeated BLO visits were conducted, with provision for any BLA to submit up to 50 enumeration forms per day” and “to ensure that no temporary migrant from Bihar is excluded, advertisements in Hindi were issued in 246 newspapers and the CEOs of all States/UTs, were requested for facilitating filing of forms from outside the state through both online and physical means," it said.
Applications are accepted for young electors
The poll body pointed out that special urban camps were organised in all 261 urban local bodies and to enrol all young electors 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.
https://getapi.indiatvnews.com/doc/additional-affidavit.pdf
While multiple petitions have been filed in the Supreme Court challenging the voter list revision in Bihar, the Election Commission has defended the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) as a routine and essential process to maintain the integrity of electoral rolls by removing names of deceased, duplicate, or permanently shifted voters.
The exercise comes ahead of the 2025 Bihar Legislative Assembly elections for all 243 constituencies, which are likely to be held in October or November this year.
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