ECI has taken decision to conduct ‘SIR’ nationwide: Gyanesh Kumar

NEW DELHI: Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar on Monday informed that the Election Commission of India (ECI) has decided to conduct a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists throughout the country after announcing the schedule for the Bihar Assembly elections.

The 243 Assembly seats in Bihar will go to the polls in two phases on November 6 and November 11, with the counting of votes scheduled for November 14.

Addressing the press conferences, the Chief Election Commissioner said, ” ECI has already taken a decision to conduct SIR throughout the country.”

Earlier, in its order on June 24, the EC had stated that SIR would be conducted across the country.

Reacting to the SIR process in Bihar, the CEC asserted that the electors of Bihar had fully participated in the purification of the voter list in the state.

“The final voter’s list after SIR has been given to all political parties. Post the date of nomination filing, the Voters’ list, which is to be released, will be final. The electors of Bihar fully participated in the purification of the voter list in the state,” the CEC said.

Earlier, on October 5, CEC Kumar had defended the Election Commission’s decision to conduct the Special Intensive Revision of the voter list before the Bihar assembly elections. He stated that any suggestion to carry out the revision after the elections was “unjustified.”

The Chief Election Commissioner clarified that conducting the SIR is both legal and mandated under the Representation of the People Act.

“Regarding the decision to conduct the Special Intensive Revision before the elections, if you go by the Representation of the People Act, it is legal for the Election Commission to conduct the revision before every election and is required to do so under the law. For someone to say that the revision should be conducted after the elections is unjustified,” Kumar said while addressing a press conference in Patna.

Meanwhile, the Election Commission also published the final electoral roll for the Bihar assembly elections following the completion of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR).

The total number of electors in the final list stands at 7.42 crore, while there were 7.89 crore electors as of June 24 this year. An Election Commission press release stated that 65 lakh voters were removed from the draft list, and the number of electors in the draft list as of August 1, 2025, stood at 7.24 crore.

It stated that ineligible electors removed from the draft list stood at 3.66 lakh, while 21.53 lakh eligible electors were added to the draft list (Form 6), taking the total to 7.42 crore voters.

Over 1.63 lakh electors have been added in 14 assembly constituencies in Patna, according to the district administration.

In the upcoming Bihar assembly elections, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) will face a fierce challenge from the opposition INDIA bloc, which includes Tejashwi Yadav’s RJD, Congress, CPI (ML) led by Deepankar Bhattacharya, CPI, CPM, and Mukesh Sahani’s Vikasheel Insaan Party (VIP).

This election will also see the entry of a new player, Prashant Kishor and his party Jan Suraaj. (ANI)