The Election Commission of India (ECI) has assured the Supreme Court that no eligible voter in Bihar will be removed from the electoral rolls without prior notice and due process.
In an affidavit filed, the poll body said it is taking “all possible steps” to ensure inclusion of all eligible voters during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The assurance comes amid allegations from the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) that over 65 lakh names were deleted from Bihar’s draft rolls without transparency. The ECI maintained that every affected voter will receive prior notice, an opportunity to be heard, and a reasoned order before any deletion is finalized.
The Commission noted that the first stage of the revision, including house-to-house verification, is complete, and the draft rolls published on August 1 list 7.24 crore voters out of 7.89 crore eligible citizens. Missing voter lists have been shared with political parties for timely additions.
To prevent wrongful exclusions, especially of temporary migrants, the ECI has run awareness campaigns, advertised in 246 newspapers nationwide, and distributed online and physical forms. The process involves extensive participation from election officials, party representatives, and volunteers.
The Supreme Court had earlier said it would intervene if there was “mass exclusion” and directed the ECI to respond to ADR’s allegations by August 9. The draft rolls are available online for public review.
