Bihar ‘SIR’ Row: No Political Objections; 54,000 New Voter Applications Filed

New Delhi- The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Monday announced that no political party — including the RJD-led Opposition — has filed any objections or complaints regarding the draft electoral rolls for Bihar, published on August 1.

According to the ECI, over 10,000 individual electors have submitted objections directly to the poll panel, while more than 50,000 newly eligible voters aged 18 and above have applied for voter IDs to exercise their franchise.

The data was shared in the Commission’s morning bulletin on the politically charged Special Intensive Revision (SIR) drive, which has been at the centre of controversy in poll-bound Bihar and has disrupted Parliament’s Monsoon Session since July 21.

The development is significant as it marks “zero resistance” from the Opposition to the SIR process following the publication of draft rolls — a sharp contrast to earlier accusations from several Opposition parties, which had alleged widespread manipulation to benefit the ruling party.

The ECI clarified that claims and objections will be addressed by the relevant Electoral Registration Officers (ERO/AERO) after seven days from the verification of eligibility documents.

“As per SIR orders, no name can be deleted from the draft list published on August 1, 2025, without a speaking order from the ERO/AERO, following an inquiry and after giving a fair and reasonable opportunity,” the Commission stated.

The draft rolls, released on August 1, will remain open for feedback from individuals and parties for one month. The Rashtriya Janata Dal has 47,506 booth-level agents (BLAs), the Congress 17,549, and the Left over 2,000 — together accounting for more than 67,000 agents.

The enumeration phase of the SIR was conducted from June 24 to July 25, with more than 7.24 crore of Bihar’s 7.89 crore electors submitting their enumeration forms during the process.

With inputs from IANS