Pan-India voter list revision planned after Bihar’s SIR exercise: CEC Gyanesh Kumar

Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar

Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on Monday announced that the Election Commission has decided to carry out a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls across the country, which will be formally announced after consultations.

“The Election Commission has already taken a decision to conduct a pan-India SIR in every state and Union Territories. It is a work in progress. The EC will decide on the dates and make a formal announcement,” he said during a press conference on Monday.

#WATCH | Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar says," ECI has already taken a decision to conduct SIR throughout the country." pic.twitter.com/Yzv6GVYo65

— ANI (@ANI) October 6, 2025

The announcement came after the Bihar SIR exercise, which led to the deletion of 69 lakh names from the state’s voter list due to deaths, inclusion of illegal immigrants, and duplicate voter IDs. Following the revision, the total number of voters in Bihar stood at 7.43 crore.

The SIR exercise has sparked political debate, with Opposition parties alleging that it was an attempt to “disenfranchise voters” ahead of the Assembly elections. The Election Commission, however, has rejected these allegations, stating that the exercise was aimed at “purifying” the voter lists to ensure fair elections.

On Monday, the Commission announced that Bihar will go to polls in two phases — on November 6 and 11 — with the counting of votes scheduled for November 14. The SIR process is expected to be a major talking point in the state elections, as leaders of the INDIA bloc have accused the poll panel of “vote theft,” a claim the EC has firmly denied.

Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar said the SIR initiative, launched in Bihar on June 25, was intended to ensure cleaner and more accurate electoral rolls. According to official data, of the 69 lakh deletions from Bihar’s pre-SIR list, 65 lakh names were removed in the draft published on August 1, followed by another 3.66 lakh before the final publication.

He commended Booth Level Officers (BLOs) and officials for their role in refining the voter list. “The draft list was published on August 1 and was given to all political parties. Then, an appropriate time was given to everyone for claims and objections. The final list was published on September 30. Even now, if there are any claims or any names to be added, they can be added,” he said.

The Election Commission stated that the model used for Bihar’s Special Intensive Revision will now be implemented nationwide to standardise voter verification and improve the accuracy of electoral rolls ahead of future elections.

*With Agency Inputs