Decline in registered voters in Bihar by around 6.5 million: Draft SIR

More than 65 lakh enumeration forms were 'not included' in the draft electoral rolls prepared as part of 'Special Intensive Revision' (SIR) by the Election Commission in poll-bound Bihar, bringing down the total number of around 7.9 crore registered voters to 7.24 crore.

Patna accounted for the highest number of 3.95 lakh non-included enumeration forms, followed by Madhubani with 3.52 lakh, East Champaran with 3.16 lakh, and Gopalganj with 3.10 lakh, according to the EC.

Before the start of the SIR, the number of registered voters in the state had been stated to be around 7.9 crore. However, the EC claimed that '22.34 lakh' people have since died, another 36.28 lakh have 'permanently shifted' out of the state or were 'not found' at their stated addresses, and another 7.01 lakh have been found enrolled at 'more than one place'.

The draft electoral rolls have been made available online and in all 38 districts of the state, representatives of political parties were being provided with printouts of these for the "claims and objections" phase, which will continue till September 1, and the final voter list will be published thereafter.

In the state capital, opposition parties like Congress and the RJD, which have been alleging that the exercise was aimed at 'helping the ruling NDA in the assembly elections, voiced their dissatisfaction with the details shared in the draft electoral rolls.