30,000 deleted voters in Bihar seek reinstatement as EC faces scrutiny over massive roll purge

Nearly 30,000 voters whose names were struck off the draft electoral rolls in Bihar have applied for re-inclusion, even as the Election Commission (EC) faces mounting questions over the unprecedented deletion of 65 lakh names during its Special Intensive Revision (SIR).

With September 1 deadline approaching fast for claims and objections, EC data shows that 29,872 electors are seeking to be reinstated, while a striking 13.33 lakh young citizens who recently turned 18 have submitted enrolment forms to join the electoral rolls.

The SIR exercise, ordered on June 24, required all of Bihar’s 7.89 crore registered voters to re-submit enumeration forms by July 25. Based on these submissions, the EC published a draft roll of 7.24 crore voters on August 1— eliminating 65 lakh names, which it categorized as deceased, permanently shifted, untraceable, or duplicate entries.

To correct errors or contest deletions, voters were given the window of August 1 to September 1 for filing claims and objections. On Saturday, the EC disclosed—for the first time separately—that it had received nearly 30,000 claims for inclusion and 1.97 lakh objections for exclusion.

Political parties too have entered the fray, with their Booth Level Agents submitting 25 inclusion claims and 103 objections. Out of the total claims and objections, 33,771 have already been disposed of, the EC said.

Meanwhile, the fresh youth vote could significantly alter Bihar’s electoral landscape: more than 13 lakh new applications from 18-year-olds have poured in, with over 61,000 already processed. The final roll is set to be published on September 30 after Electoral Registration Officers dispose of all pending cases by September 25.

But the revision exercise has also triggered controversy. For the first time, the EC has asked electors—particularly those registered after 2003—to furnish documents proving their date and place of birth, as well as citizenship. Applicants born after July 1, 1987, must also submit parental proof of birth, aligning with the Citizenship Act, 1955. This marks a stark departure from the long-standing practice of self-declaration of citizenship in enrolment forms.

The EC’s directive has been challenged in the Supreme Court through a clutch of petitions, with the next hearing scheduled for September 1— the very day the claims and objections period closes.