India's Election Commission (ECI) stated Sunday that it had received 72.4 million enumeration forms during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar.
Short of 6.5 million—about 8%—this figure is when compared with the number of voters registered as of June 24, a day before the SIR programme was initiated.
It is also a deficit of 4.8 million (6.2%) compared to the number of voters during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, and 1.2 million (1.6%) in comparison to the figure for the 2020 Bihar assembly elections.
This apparent decline in Bihar's voter count—though the final electoral roll won't be published until September 30—is the first time that electors have dropped between two successive elections since the twin assembly polls of 2005. This trend thus seems not just consistent, but also fairly natural—so far as the kind of comparison one wants to make and so far as the two types of elections involved.
Historically, voter registration in Bihar has followed an ever-increasing trajectory. Hindustan Times analyzed voter rolls for all state elections since 1977, with the exception of constituencies relocated to Jharkhand in 2000, and all national polls since 2004, the first Lok Sabha election after Jharkhand's formation. In almost all instances during that time, more voters were registered between polls. The exception was only between the two assembly elections held in 2005, when the electorate dipped from 52.7 million to 51.3 million—a decline of 2.5%.
Though the 2005 figures demonstrate that a decline in registered voters is not something entirely new in Bihar, it is still an exception. If the final voter roll shows fewer registered electors than the 73.6 million from 2020 or the 77.3 million from 2024, this would be an unusual occurrence. More importantly, the existing 8% drop—from 78.9 million on June 24 to 72.4 million on July 27—constitutes a much sharper proportional fall in under a year compared to the 2.5% decline registered in 2005.
The fall is all the more mystifying in a state such as Bihar, which has historically shown a high rate of fertility. Even in 2005, doubts were raised on how the voting strength could decline just two years after the last SIR in 2003. From the 2001 to 2011 census decade, Bihar's adult population grew by 28.5%, though an increase in out-migration over the decade may go a part of the way in explaining the gap, HT reported on July 7.
Still, the current revision process has room for adjustments. According to the ECI’s July 27 press release, there remains an opportunity for eligible voters to be added during the claims and objections period running from August 1 to September 1. In addition, individuals turning 18 on or before October 1 can also be included in the updated rolls.
One of the causes of the decline in electors in 2005 could have been the launch of the Electors Photo Identity Card (EPIC) campaign between the two elections held that year. "With this campaign, permanent online EPIC centres are being established in the premises of all Electoral Registration Officers and extra teams are being activated to cover maximum number of electors in rural India.". The Commission's initiative is to achieve maximum cover under EPIC programme so that there is no need to issue substitute documents for identification of the voter during poll," declared an ECI press release issued on July 23, 2005. The EPIC cover rate increased from 57% to 67% from the launching of the campaign until the announcement of the election schedule on September 3.
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