Amid controversy over Special Intensive Revision (SIR), the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Friday said that the first visit of the first phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral roll in Bihar has been completed, with Booth Level Officers (BLOs) have so far covered nearly 1.5 crore households across the State.
According to an official statement issued by the ECI, as of July 2, 2025 the BLOs have distributed over 6.86 crore Enumeration Forms, which amount to more than 87 per cent of the 7.90 crore enrolled electors in Bihar as per records updated till June 24, 2025.
The poll panel further said that the remaining households could not be reached due to reasons such as the premises being locked, possibly due to death of electors, migration of families or dwellers might be traveling. Officials in the poll panel, however, contended that since BLOs would be revisiting each household up to three times, the coverage might improve significantly. The poll panel said, to further ease the process, partially filled Enumeration Forms are now available for download via the ECI portal (https://voters.eci.gov.in) and the ECINET App.
“Voters can also complete and upload their forms directly through the ECINET App,” it added.
Active political engagement has bolstered the effort, with 1,54,977 Booth Level Agents (BLAs) appointed by various parties aiding the BLOs. The BJP leads with 52,689 BLAs, followed by RJD (47,504), JD (U) (34,669), and INC (16,500), the poll panel said.
Smaller parties like CPI (ML) L, LJP (Ram Vilas), and others have also contributed, as each of the BLAs are allowed submit up to 50 certified forms daily, it added.
Nearly 38 lakh signed forms - about 5 per cent of the total - have already been submitted, demonstrating early voter responsiveness. Emphasising its motto “Inclusion First,” the Commission is urging all voters to sign and submit their forms by July 25 to ensure inclusion in the Draft Electoral Roll, which will be published on August 1.
Simultaneous verification of submitted forms is already underway.
From August 2 onwards, claims and objections to the draft rolls can be filed by parties or citizens and the final Electoral Rolls are scheduled to be published on September 30, 2025, after which appeals can be made to the District Magistrate or Chief Electoral Officer. Besides, 1.55 lakh BLAs appointed by various political parties are also providing active support in the SIR process. Each BLA can submit up to 50 certified forms per day.
The poll body said despite apprehensions by some quarters, SIR will ensure that all eligible persons will be included. Based on the documents attached or not attached, with the signed Enumeration Form, eligibility verification of each name included in the draft rolls will be done continuously after their receipt.
Verification will start vigorously from August 02, 2025 onwards after publication of Draft Electoral Rolls. On the basis of the published Draft of Electoral Rolls, claims and objections will be received from any political parties or any member of public August 2, 2025 onwards. The final Electoral Rolls will be published on September 30, 2025. Appeals can also be filed thereafter with the DM and the CEO.