The Election Commission of India (ECI) has announced significant progress in the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, revealing that nearly 1.5 crore households have already been covered under the first phase of the campaign.
As per data compiled till July 2, Booth Level Officers (BLOs) have distributed over 6.86 crore Enumeration Forms, which accounts for around 87% of Bihar’s 7.90 crore registered electors as per the latest figures. The remaining households, the EC noted, were temporarily inaccessible due to reasons like locked premises, deaths of registered electors, or migration.
Despite these hurdles, EC officials expressed confidence in increased coverage, as BLOs are mandated to revisit each household up to three times before concluding the verification process.
Responding to opposition concerns about delays and form collection issues, the EC reminded that the last such revision in 2002 was also conducted over a 31-day window, from July 15 to August 14. This year’s exercise is following a similar timeline, running from June 24 to July 26.
In a move aimed at making the process more accessible and tech-friendly, the EC has introduced partially pre-filled Enumeration Forms for download through its official portal and the ECINET mobile app. Voters can also complete and submit their forms digitally using the app, reducing dependency on physical collection.
Political participation in the revision drive has also seen a sharp rise, with 1,54,977 Booth Level Agents (BLAs) deployed by political parties to assist BLOs on the ground. Among these, the BJP has the highest number with 52,689 agents, followed by RJD (47,504), JD(U) (34,669), and Congress (16,500).
According to the EC, approximately 38 lakh completed forms have already been submitted—about 5% of the total enumeration forms—highlighting strong early engagement from voters.
Emphasising its commitment to inclusive democracy, the Commission reiterated its “Inclusion First” approach, urging all eligible voters to submit their filled forms by July 25, ahead of the Draft Electoral Roll publication on August 1. Parallel verification of submitted forms is already underway.
