The Election Commission has revealed that after the first phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list in Bihar, 7.24 crore forms were submitted. This figure is 65 lakh (8%) less than the total number of registered voters on June 24, a day before the SIR process began in Bihar. It is also 48 lakh (6.2%) less than the number of registered voters during the Lok Sabha elections held in the country last year. Compared to the number of registered voters during the Assembly elections held in 2020, it is 12 lakh (1.6%) less.
The decline in the number of voters is evident in Bihar. This is the first time since the two Assembly elections in 2005 that such a trend is observed between two consecutive elections. However, the final voter list is scheduled to be published by the Election Commission on September 30. This declining trend continued in both types of elections: consecutive Assembly elections or Assembly and Lok Sabha elections.
Historically, the data of registered voters for Assembly and Lok Sabha elections in the state usually shows an increase. An examination of voter numbers since the third delimitation in 1977 (after removing the Assembly constituencies that became part of Jharkhand in 2000), and after the 2004 Lok Sabha elections (the first after Jharkhand was formed) reveals that the number of registered voters increased between consecutive elections, except for the two Assembly elections held between February and October 2005. Between the two elections in 2005, the number of voters decreased from 5.27 crore to 5.13 crore (2.5%). This trend suggests that a decline in the number of registered voters in Bihar is not impossible. However, it will be a rare event if the final voter list comes with fewer registered voters compared to the 2020 Assembly elections (7.36 crore) or the 2024 Lok Sabha elections (7.73 crore).
The reality is that there were 7.89 crore voters on June 24, which decreased to 7.24 crore voters on July 27, reflecting an 8% decline. This is a proportionally higher decline in less than a year, compared to the 2.5% decline between the February and October 2005 elections.
Interestingly, the decline in the number of registered voters in a state like Bihar, with a high fertility rate, is surprising even in 2005 (2 years after the last SIR in 2003 and after a Lok Sabha election). Considering its high fertility rate, the number of adults in Bihar increased by 28.5% between the 2001 and 2011 censuses, while the rate of migration from the state also increased during this period.
However, there is still time for improvement in the decline being observed in the SIR process conducted in 2025. According to a press note issued by the Election Commission on July 27, real voters can be re-included in the voter list through claims and objections from August 1 to September 1. Young voters aged 18 or above on October 1 or earlier can also be added to the voter list during this period.
A possible reason for the decline in the number of voters in 2005 could be that the Election Commission launched a new campaign to issue Electors Photo Identity Cards (EPIC) between the two Assembly elections that year. On July 23, 2005, the Election Commission stated, ‘Under this campaign, permanent online EPIC centers are being established in all election offices, and additional teams are being prepared to cover the maximum number of voters in rural areas. The Election Commission is trying to cover more and more areas under the EPIC program so that there is no need to determine alternative documents for voter identification at the time of voting.’ Between the start of this campaign and the announcement of the election schedule on September 3, EPIC coverage increased from 57% to 67%.
