The Election Commission of India (EC) informed the Supreme Court that no eligible voter in Bihar will be removed from the electoral rolls published on August 1 without prior notice, an opportunity to be heard, and a reasoned order.
The assurance came in a fresh affidavit on Saturday during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar. The EC said it has issued strict instructions to prevent wrongful deletions and is working to include every eligible voter in the final list.
The affidavit responds to allegations by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) about wrongful exclusions.
Supreme Court Sought Response After ADR Allegations
On August 6, the Supreme Court directed the EC to submit its response after ADR claimed that 65 eligible voters had been wrongfully excluded from the rolls. The matter will be heard on August 13. The EC stated in its affidavit: “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 prior notice, an opportunity to be heard, and a reasoned and speaking order.” The EC also highlighted an existing two-tier appeal process for voter grievances.
Safeguards and Appeal Process in Place
The Election Commission emphasized that the safeguards in the voter list revision are reinforced by a robust two-tier appeal mechanism under existing rules. It assured that every voter will have adequate recourse against any wrongful action. “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 EC said.
It also reported that out of 7.89 crore electors in Bihar, over 7.24 crore had submitted their enumeration forms during the ongoing SIR, reflecting large-scale participation in the revision process.
Political Parties and Public Given Access to Draft Rolls
The EC said it provided both printed and digital copies of the draft electoral roll to political parties from August 1 to September 1 to ensure thorough scrutiny. An online facility was also made available to the general public for checking entries. Additionally, the Commission shared the list of voters who had not submitted enumeration forms with Booth Level Agents (BLAs) of recognized political parties before the draft roll was published. This, the EC stated, aimed to help political parties identify and resolve any possible omissions before the final list is prepared.
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