Revision of Electoral Rolls in Bihar | Day 7: Voters can submit claims and objections after 1 September deadline, clarifies ECI

ECI: More requests for deletion compared to inclusion 

Dwivedi argued against extending the deadline for submitting claims and objections, asserting that it would disrupt the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) timeline. He pointed out that 99.5 percent of the 7.25 crore voters had already submitted their eligibility documents and that the ECI was currently conducting a verification exercise. He added that if any inconsistencies arise, the concerned voter will receive a notice and be given seven days for a resolution. Dwivedi submitted that the ECI would conclude the verification exercise on 25 September and the roll would be finalised on 30 September.

Justice Kant then asked whether voters will receive immediate notifications about any inconsistencies or if they would have to wait until 25 September. Dwivedi confirmed that verification is an ongoing process and that voters receive immediate notice. He also clarified that any objections submitted after the deadline of 1 September will be reviewed only after the final electoral roll is prepared. This final roll would then be updated with new inclusions and exclusions until nominations for the state elections are filed. 

Referring to the draft electoral roll, Dwivedi stated that 65 lakh voters had been excluded. Of these, the ECI had received 33,351 objections for inclusion—the body’s affidavit confirmed that 22,723 of these claims had been filed since the Court directed the use of Aadhaar cards for claims and objections on 22 August. 

Dwivedi, referencing the ECI Daily Bulletin, noted that electors were asking to have their names removed from the rolls: “In many cases electors are coming forward to say that their name is included somewhere and needs to be deleted.” He stated that the ECI has received over 2 lakh claims seeking exclusion. Dwivedi also said that 15 lakh new voters were seeking to be included in the rolls for the first time.

ECI: Claims by RJD and CPI(M) incorrect and misleading 

The RJD and CPI(M) said they have filed 36 and 351 claims and objections respectively. Dwivedi argued that these numbers were misleading and incorrect. Referring to the Bulletin, he argued that the RJD had filed 10 claims and the CPI(M) had filed 79 claims. He then submitted that none of the other recognised political parties had assisted electors whose names were excluded from the electoral rolls.

In response, the Bench directed the political parties to file an affidavit addressing the ECI’s notes. Advocate Prashant Bhushan argued that voters seeking inclusion are required to file Form 6, which contains a declaration that the person was not on any previous list. Advocate Nizam Pasha added that Booth Level Officers (BLOs) were refusing to accept these forms.

State Legal Service Authority directed  depute volunteers

As an added measure, the Bench directed the Bihar State Legal Service Authority to issue instructions to depute para legal volunteers (PLVs). The PLVs will assist the voters and the political parties to submit “claims/objections/corrections”. The PLVs will then submit a confidential report to the District and Sessions Judge, who is the Chairman of the District Legal Services Authority. The information will then be forwarded to  the State Legal Service Authority for further consideration. 

The Court will now hear the case on 8 September 2025.