Bihar: 1.4mn voters added in post-SIR roll in one year

Bihar’s electoral roll expanded after the state’s special intensive revision, or SIR. The roll published after the SIR in September 2025 contained 74.1 million voters. By October 1, 2026, it contained 75.5 million. That is an increase of about 1.4 million names in one year.

The growth came through fresh applications using Form 6. Nearly 1.87 million people applied for inclusion, and about 1.4 million applications succeeded. These names included people returning to the rolls, new voters and young people enrolling for the first time. Officials said all successful applicants had to submit Form 6.

The increase reflects continuing additions after the SIR, not another intensive revision. Bihar has not had a summary revision since the 2025 SIR. Officials are now preparing a campaign to identify and enrol first-time and left-out voters, with training and orientation for election staff under way.

About 1.4 million voters joined Bihar’s electoral roll between September 2025 and October 2026. The current roll contains 75.5 million voters, so the additions represent roughly 1.9% of the total electorate. The increase is substantial in absolute terms, but it is a small share of the state’s overall voter base.

The figure came from nearly 1.87 million Form 6 applications. Officials said about 1.4 million were accepted after scrutiny. The successful applications included people seeking to return to the rolls, new voters and young people enrolling for the first time. The process therefore combined restoration and fresh enrolment.

The increase was smaller than Bihar’s additions during election years. Voters rose by 4.19 million in 2023-24 and 4.14 million in 2024-25. They increased by 1.3 million in 2022-23 and 2.45 million in 2025-26, showing that enrolment changes across years.

An electoral roll is the list of people recorded as voters in a state or constituency. It matters because names must be included for eligible citizens to appear on the voter list used for elections. Bihar’s roll stood at 75.5 million voters on October 1, 2026, after continued additions following the SIR.

Form 6 is the statutory application for a person seeking inclusion in an electoral roll. Under the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, applicants use it for new enrolment. In Bihar, all 1.4 million people added after the SIR, including first-time voters, had to submit Form 6.

Most post-SIR applicants used the Election Commission of India portal, according to a Patna booth-level officer. Applications were then verified and scrutinised before names were added. The Election Commission later told authorities that eligible applicants did not need a separate parental-linkage declaration with Form 6.

Bihar’s special intensive revision removed millions of names because officials identified voters reported dead, voters who had shifted, and entries appearing at more than one location. Before the exercise, the roll contained 78.9 million voters. The initial review removed 6.56 million names: 2.23 million reported dead, 3.64 million shifted and 0.68 million duplicated.

The process included a one-month scrutiny period from August 1 to September 1, 2025. Aggrieved voters could submit claims and objections during that period. After scrutiny, 2.15 million voters were added to the list, while another 0.36 million were removed. The final post-SIR electorate therefore stood at 74.1 million.

Some restored names may have represented voters whose cases were successfully supported during scrutiny. The article does not identify each restored voter’s reason individually. It records the overall outcome and says the subsequent 1.4 million additions required fresh Form 6 applications.

New voter applications pass through checks by local election officials. A booth-level officer, or BLO, verifies the applicant’s documents and recommends the name to the electoral registration officer. The ERO then scrutinises the application before adding the voter to the roll. This creates two levels of review.

In Thakurganj, a BLO received around 3,600 applications and recommended about 636 names after verification. The same officer was examining seven applications flagged as possible duplicates. The flags came from a mobile application linked to the Election Commission’s Demographic Similar Entry, or DSE, software.

DSE identifies similarities in names, fathers’ names and ages. It does not itself establish that an entry is duplicate; officials examine the flagged applications. The BLO said documents are checked before recommendations. This process is intended to support accurate enrolment while allowing legitimate applications to proceed.

Voter enrolment usually increases before elections because eligible people are more likely to apply when a poll is approaching. Bihar officials said this pattern occurs before Lok Sabha, legislative assembly and panchayat elections. After the election period, the pace generally declines, creating year-to-year differences in the roll.

The figures show the pattern clearly. Bihar’s voter count increased by 4.19 million in 2023-24, the year of Lok Sabha elections. It rose by another 4.14 million in 2024-25, the year of the state assembly polls. By comparison, the increase was 1.3 million in 2022-23 and 2.45 million in 2025-26.

The latest post-SIR increase was about 1.4 million, despite no current electoral activity. Officials said online applications continued, especially from new, young and returning voters. The state is also preparing a campaign to identify and enrol first-time and left-out voters.

When eligible citizens are missing from the electoral roll, they may be unable to take part in an election because their names are not recorded. The article connects this concern to first-time and left-out voters, whom Bihar authorities have been asked to identify and enrol. Accurate rolls therefore matter for including eligible residents.

Duplicate names create a different problem. They can make the roll contain repeated entries for one person, especially when a voter appears at more than one location. During the SIR, officials identified 0.68 million voters with names at more than one location. The DSE software now flags possible matches using names, fathers’ names and ages.

The article does not quantify the effect of missing or duplicate names on election results. It describes safeguards instead: BLOs verify documents, EROs scrutinise applications, and officials examine DSE flags. Bihar’s planned enrolment campaign may help locate eligible people still absent from the roll.