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Key Points

The Election Commission has processed 454 out of 17,665 claims on Bihar's draft voter list under Special Intensive Revision. Political parties surprisingly filed no objections during the 13-day window, while 74,525 new voter applications were received. The Supreme Court defended the SIR process, rejecting arguments about document scarcity in Bihar. Justices emphasized citizenship proof requirements mirror nationwide standards during the electoral roll hearing.

Key Points: Bihar SIR Draft Voter List Sees 17665 Claims 454 Disposed

  • ECI received 17665 claims on Bihar draft electoral roll
  • 74525 new voter forms submitted including BLAS applicants
  • Supreme Court upheld SIR process amid citizenship proof debate
  • No political parties filed objections during 13-day window
3 min read

Bihar SIR: 17,665 claims, objections over draft voter list, 454 disposed; no claims by political parties

ECI reports 17665 claims on Bihar draft voter list, 454 resolved; no political party objections filed as Supreme Court backs SIR process

"Bihar is part of India. If they don’t have them, other states won’t either. - Justice Surya Kant"

New Delhi, August 13

Election Commission of India (ECI) has received a total of 17,665 claims and objections over the draft voter list after the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll in Bihar, out of which 454 complaints have been disposed, a press note said on Wednesday.

According to the press note by ECI, after 13 days, no claim or objection has been submitted by any political party.

A total of 74,525 forms have been received from new electors on attaining 18 years of age or above, including six forms received from BLAS.

As per rules, the claims and objections are to be disposed of by the concerned ERO/AERO after the expiry of seven days after the verification of eligibility documents.

As per SIR orders, no name can be deleted from the draft list published on August 1, 2025, without passing a speaking order by the ERO/AERO after conducting an enquiry and after giving a fair and reasonable opportunity, the press note said.

The ECI published the draft voter list after the SIR exercise in poll-bound Bihar on August 1. The final voter list will be released after the one month given for claims and objections.

Earlier till Tuesday, the poll body had 13,970 complaints from the electors, out of which 341 were disposed. While a total of 63,591 forms were received from new electors on attaining 18 years of age or above, including six forms received from BLAS.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, the Supreme Court began hearing a batch of petitions challenging the ECI's decision to conduct a SIR of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar and observed that the poll panel was right in stating that an Aadhaar card is not conclusive proof of citizenship.

A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi also remarked that the inclusion and exclusion of citizens and non-citizens from the electoral rolls falls within the remit of the ECI.

During the hearing, senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for RJD MP Manoj Kumar Jha, told the bench that the exclusion of about 65 lakh voters from the draft electoral roll, without any objection to their inclusion, is illegal.

To this, the bench said that as per the Rules, the persons excluded have to submit applications for inclusion, and it is only at this stage that anyone's objection will be considered.

The apex court also did not agree with the submission that the people in Bihar do not have the majority of documents sought by the ECI as proof during the SIR.

Justice Kant said, "Bihar is part of India. If they don't have them, other states won't either."

"There must be something to prove you are a citizen of India... everybody possesses some certificate... You need it even to buy a SIM. OBC, SC, ST certificates... It is a very sweeping argument that in Bihar, nobody possesses these documents," Justice Kant said.

- ANI

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Reader Comments

S
Shreya B
Surprised no political parties have raised objections! In Bihar, where voter lists are always controversial, this silence is suspicious 🤔 Are they busy with other things?
A
Aman W
Justice Kant is absolutely right! Documents are necessary to prevent bogus voting. In my village last election, we found 50 fake names. Strict verification is must for fair elections.
P
Priyanka N
The SC's observation about Aadhaar not being proof of citizenship makes sense. But what about poor people who only have Aadhaar? We need simpler solutions for genuine citizens.
V
Varun X
74,525 new voters is a big number! Youth participation increasing is good for democracy. Hope EC makes voter registration process more tech-friendly for Gen Z.
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Neha E
As a Bihar resident, I must say the document requirement is creating problems. Many elderly people only have ration cards. EC should conduct special camps to help them.
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Karan T
Respectfully disagree with Justice Kant's "Bihar is part of India" remark. Ground reality is different - many lack documents not because they're illegal but because systems failed them.

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