A women checks names of voters who have not submitted their documents for verification, at the Block Develpoment Office in Bihar’s Nalanda district on September 1, 2025.
| Photo Credit: R.V. Moorthy
Even as the deadline for filing claims and objections to the draft electoral rolls of Bihar ended on Monday (September 1, 2025), the Election Commission of India (ECI) said that, as per the June 24 special intensive revision (SIR) order, applications for inclusion and exclusion would still be accepted till the last date of nominations before the Assembly polls.
However, these claims, if accepted, would not make it to the final list to be out on September 30, but would be addressed as separate additions later.
A senior ECI official told The Hindu that Para 12(a)(ii) of SIR provided for any inclusion or deletion till the last date of nomination.
Earlier in the day, in the Supreme Court, which heard the RJD and the AIMIM pleas for extending the deadline to file claims and objections in the ongoing SIR process, the ECI submitted that it would accept revision forms even after the deadline, and these would be integrated into the final list.
The apex court had already asked the poll authority to accept Aadhaar or any of the 11 listed documents from those seeking inclusion in the voter list.
According to the ECI data released on Monday, nearly 37,000 applications have been filed for re-inclusion of names and 2,17,000 for exclusion. A total of 16,56,886 new voters, who have attained 18 years, have applied for registration.
The poll panel has said 99.5% of the 7.24 crore electors in the draft electoral rolls have filed the eligibility documents.
Around 7.24 crore people have been included in the draft rolls published on August 1 — 65 lakh less than those in the earlier July 2025 list. Most claims and objections filed by political parties, the ECI said, were for exclusion, not inclusion, of names from the rolls.
The poll panel has since last week began issuing notices to those electors whose documents were incomplete, and around 3 lakh such documents have already been issued.
As per the SIR order, the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) has powers to scrutinise all claims and conduct a suo motu inquiry as well as issue notice to any elector.
In case the person is excluded from the list, the ERO will issue a “speaking order” stating the reasons for the same.
A speaking order is one where the authority explicitly states the reasons behind its decision, linking it to the evidence, facts, and applicable laws. This ensures that the decision is not arbitrary and reflects sound reasoning.
Published – September 01, 2025 11:13 pm IST
