New Delhi: The Election Commission of India on Monday, September 1, said claims, objections and corrections in the draft electoral roll prepared in Bihar special intensive revision (SIR) exercise can be filed beyond September 1 but the same would be considered once the electoral roll was finalised.
A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi noted the submission of the Election Commission (EC) which said claims and objections could be filed till the last date of nomination forms in each assembly constituency.
The top court while terming the confusion over the Bihar SIR as “largely trust issue”, directed the state legal service authority to deploy paralegal volunteers to assist individual voters and political parties in filling claims and objections to the draft roll, which was published on August 1.
Senior advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, appearing for EC, said, “Any extension of deadline will lead to disruption of the entire exercise and finalisation of final electoral roll.”
99.5 percent electors filed eligibility documents
The poll panel further said 99.5 percent of the 2.74 crore electors in the draft electoral roll had filed the eligibility documents and countered the claims of RJD, which alleged of having filed 36 claims, and said the party had filed only 10 such claims.
“According to the records, approximately 99.5 per cent of the electors (out of 7.24 crore) featured in the draft electoral roll for the state of Bihar have already submitted their eligibility documents pertaining to the SIR exercise,” senior advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, appearing on behalf of the poll panel, said in a note.
He further said the 36 claims that the RJD party mentioned in its petition had also been “duly accepted”.
He said the exercise of verification of the documents, which was underway, would be completed by September 25 in line with the schedule provided in the SIR order of June 24.
Referring to its August 31 bulletin, the EC said an overwhelming majority of forms received from both political parties and individuals were for exclusion of names featuring in the draft electoral roll.
“Of the total 128 forms received on the draft rolls from political parties, 103 are for deletion (Form 7) and only 25 are for inclusion (Form 6). This number represents a miniscule fraction of the total number of electors of Bihar,” it said.
The EC further said, “Although the individual electors have demonstrated more alertness and proactiveness, they too have submitted only 33,326 forms (Form 6) for inclusion in the draft roll and 2,07,565 forms (Form 7) for deletion.”
On the new eligible citizens attaining age of 18 years or more, the EC said a total of 15,32,438 applications for first-time inclusion in the electoral roll had been received.
“These applications are distinct in nature as they pertain to fresh enrolment and not to claims or objections relating to existing electors,” it said.
The poll panel said only 33,351 claims had been received with respect to the around 65 lakh voters excluded from the draft roll published on August 1 on account of death, permanent shifting or duplication.
“Post the order of this court dated August 22, 2025, till August 30, 2025, only 22,723 claims have been filed for inclusion and 1,34,738 objections have been filed for exclusion,” it said.
The bench, on the other hand, directed the paralegal volunteers to file confidential reports with the district judges concerned, and the same would be considered on September 8.
ECI rejects RJD, AIMIM plea to extend deadline
RJD and AIMIM have sought an extension of the deadline to file claims and objections in the poll revision exercise in poll-bound Bihar.
Opposing their prayer, the poll panel said extending it beyond September 1 would disrupt the entire schedule for finalisation of the electoral roll.
“The period between September 1, 2025, to September 25, 2025, is fixed for considering claims and objections, and the same also involves consideration of issuing notices and responses to doubtful cases. Thus, any extension of timelines will lead to disruption of the exercise and finalisation of the electoral roll,” it said.
The EC, however, clarified that filing of claims or objections or corrections could be submitted after the September 1 deadline.
“The applications submitted for claims, objections or corrections after September 1, 2025 will be considered after the electoral roll has been finalised. The process of consideration of claims and objections continues until the last date of nominations, and all inclusions and exclusions are integrated in the final roll,” it added.
The bench asked political parties to file their responses to the EC note and posted the matter for September 8.
The revision of the voters’ list in Bihar — the first since 2003 — sparked a huge political row.
The SIR’s findings reduced the total number of registered voters in Bihar, from 7.9 crore before the exercise to 7.24 crore after conducting it.
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