Following the Supreme Court’s interim order, Bihar Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Vinod Singh Gunjiyal issued a notification allowing voters left out of the draft electoral rolls to file claims using their Aadhaar cards. The order states that voters not included in the draft list can verify details of their deletion through their EPIC number. “The list of such voters excluded from the draft rolls published on 01.08.2025 has been displayed at block offices, panchayat offices, municipal bodies and polling stations,” the notification read. Dissatisfied persons may file claims with a copy of their Aadhaar card, it further stated.

65 lakh names deleted from draft rolls

The Bihar CEO on Sunday disclosed that 65 lakh names had been deleted from the draft rolls in the first phase of the SIR. Out of Bihar’s 7.89 crore registered voters, 7.24 crore were retained in the draft rolls.

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Of the deletions, 36 lakh were marked as permanently relocated, while 22 lakh were recorded as deceased.

The apex court is currently hearing petitions challenging the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the poll-bound state of Bihar. The court had asked the EC to publish details of voters deleted from the rolls along with reasons for their removal and to ensure that aggrieved citizens were given a fair opportunity to raise claims.

SC bench hearing Bihar SIR pleas

The deletions of names from the draft electoral roll has become a topic of protest for the Opposition parties including Congress, DMK, Samajwadi Party, Shiv Sena (UBT) and AAP. In a joint press conference on Monday, the opposition called for a better implementation of the electoral rolls’ revision process by the ECI.