Draft Voter List Released in Bihar After SIR, Nearly 65 Lakh Names Removed, Highest Cuts in Patna

According to reports,oOver 65 lakh names have been excluded from the list, reducing the total number of registered voters from approximately 7.9 crore to 7.24 crore. Voters can check their names on the Election Commission’s website.

According to the Election Commission, Patna saw the highest number of exclusions, with 3.95 lakh enumeration forms not included in the draft voter list, followed by 3.52 lakh in Madhubani, 3.16 lakh in East Champaran, and 3.10 lakh in Gopalganj.

With the publication of the draft lists, the process of filing “claims and objections” has also begun and will continue until September 1.The Commission stated that before the SIR exercise began, the number of registered voters in Bihar was around 7.9 crore. Since then, 22.34 lakh people have passed away, 36.28 lakh people have either permanently left the state or were not found at their registered addresses, and 7.01 lakh people were found registered at multiple locations.

Officials reported that the district magistrates of Supaul, Nawada, Lakhisarai, Darbhanga, Sheohar, Jamui, and Gaya have already handed over the draft lists for their respective districts to political party representatives.

Along with the publication of the draft lists, the “claims and objections” process has started, which will continue until September 1. During this period, voters can approach the relevant authorities to address complaints regarding wrongful removal of names. This phase will conclude on September 1, after which the final voter list will be published.

Assembly elections in Bihar are scheduled for later this year. In Patna, opposition parties such as Congress and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) have expressed dissatisfaction with the details shared in the draft voter list.

These parties allege that the exercise is aimed at aiding the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the upcoming state assembly elections. Petitions have also been filed in the Supreme Court against this, which earlier this week stated that the outcome of the SIR should be “mass inclusion, not mass exclusion.”