The final voter list in Bihar now has 7.42 crore voters, which is about 6% less than the number reported on June 24 this year. Nearly 50 lakh names were removed after a three-month Special Intensive Revision (SIR) by the Election Commission of India (ECI), which decided to check and update the state’s electoral roll ahead of Assembly elections.
Why is there a drop in voter numbers?
Most of the names removed were not foreigners, according to the Bihar Chief Electoral Officer’s office. About 99% of the deletions happened due to deaths, people moving away permanently, or duplicate entries. Only a tiny fraction, if any, were foreigners. The ECI did not reveal the exact number of foreigners struck off. The review led to deleting 68.6 lakh names, while 21.53 lakh new voters were added.
How was the Voter List Updated?
Out of the 65 lakh names deleted at the first stage, 22 lakh were due to deaths, 36 lakh for permanent migration, and 7 lakh were cases where the voters were already registered somewhere else. In the second stage, 3.66 lakh more names were removed, with most due to migration, followed by deaths and duplicates. The entire revision was much bigger than the usual annual process, as it involved door-to-door verification rather than simply updating lists.
https://flash.tas.edu.pk/What was your the Political Controversy Over Citizenship Checks?
The revision led to political arguments, with opposition parties accusing the ECI of going beyond its powers and trying to check citizenship too closely. The ECI said it followed the Constitution and aimed for accurate voter lists, explaining that only Indian citizens over 18 can register to vote. People unhappy with the process can appeal first to the District Magistrate and then to the Chief Electoral Officer according to law.
During this check, the ECI required voters to provide extra documents to prove their birth date and place, which could be used to confirm citizenship. This was different from the usual process that does not ask for citizenship proof. The Supreme Court allowed the revision but also insisted that Aadhaar be accepted as an extra document to prove identity. The revision created confusion and concern, but it was seen as necessary to have error-free and trustworthy voter rolls ahead of Bihar’s elections.