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35.6 lakh voters face deletion in Bihar under electoral roll revision.
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Reasons: Death, migration, or duplicate enrolments.
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EC to share data with political parties from July 17.
GG News Bureau
New Delhi/ Patna, 16th July: With the July 25 deadline fast approaching for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has flagged that around 35.6 lakh voters may face removal from the final list. These voters were found missing during three rounds of field verification, prompting concerns over duplication, migration, and ineligibility.
According to the Commission, 4.5% of the 7.89 crore electorate—amounting to 35.69 lakh—were not located at their registered addresses. Of these, 12.5 lakh are deceased, 17.5 lakh have permanently migrated, and 5.5 lakh are enrolled in multiple locations. So far, the ECI has received 88.6% of enumeration forms, with nearly 54 lakh voters still to submit theirs.
In a major transparency initiative, the EC will from July 17 begin sharing details of the 35.6 lakh potentially deleted voters with recognised political parties. Parties can verify, object, or provide supporting documents before any name is removed, helping avoid erroneous exclusions and ensuring electoral accountability.
The revision process has also identified foreign nationals, including individuals from Nepal, Bangladesh, and Myanmar, listed as voters. These names will be removed after document verification by the Electoral Registration Officers. Affected individuals can appeal to the District Collector or Chief Electoral Officer with proof of citizenship.
However, the revision has triggered political controversy.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi alleged the EC is deliberately deleting names of the poor, farmers, and Congress supporters. In contrast, BJP leader Tom Vadakkan claimed the deletions concern illegal immigrants, including Rohingyas, accusing the opposition of building a vote bank on such entries.
Meanwhile, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee accused the BJP of manipulating voter rolls in Bihar, Delhi, Maharashtra, and now West Bengal.
“They deleted 35.5 lakh voters in Bihar. They won in Delhi and Maharashtra using the same method. They want to do this in Bengal too. We won’t allow it,” she asserted, vowing to fight back in the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections.
As the EC continues the cleanup drive, the debate over electoral fairness, inclusivity, and political motivation appears set to intensify ahead of the upcoming polls.
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