The release of Bihar’s final voter list ahead of the state’s hotly anticipated Assembly elections in November 2025 has ignited a storm of controversy, with politicians and citizens alike questioning the transparency and accuracy of the process. The Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision, designed to ensure the integrity of the electoral roll, has instead drawn criticism for the sheer scale of voter deletions and the opacity surrounding them.
According to Devdiscourse, the final voter list—made public on or before October 1, 2025—shows a dramatic reduction in the number of eligible voters in Bihar. Nearly 4.7 million names have been removed from the rolls, a figure that has raised eyebrows across the political spectrum. Despite the addition of over 1.78 million new voters, the total count now stands at 74.2 million, down from previous tallies. This net decrease, especially in a state where every vote can tip the scales, has set off alarm bells just weeks before the polls open.
Dipankar Bhattacharya, general secretary of the CPI(ML) Liberation, has been among the most vocal critics. In a statement reported by Devdiscourse, Bhattacharya accused the new list of “hiding more than it reveals,” expressing shock at the disappearance of so many voters after what was supposed to be an exhaustive revision. His concerns reflect a broader unease: how, after a process aimed at improving accuracy, could so many eligible citizens be missing from the rolls?
“The Election Commission has not provided detailed explanations,” Bhattacharya charged. He pointed specifically to the lack of transparency about which voters had been sent notices to verify their documents—a crucial step, especially for those at risk of being dropped from the list. For many, this absence of clarity feeds suspicions that the process may not have been as rigorous or fair as promised.
The Election Commission, for its part, has attributed the deletions to routine factors: deaths, migration, and the elimination of duplicate entries. These are, of course, standard reasons for voter list adjustments in any democracy. People move away, some pass on, and sometimes the same person gets counted twice due to administrative errors. But the scale of the deletions in Bihar—nearly 4.7 million out of a population of around 125 million—has left many wondering whether more is at play.
Adding to the confusion, Bhattacharya raised questions about the presence of foreign nationals on the voter list, demanding greater scrutiny and openness from the poll body. “We need greater transparency from the Election Commission,” he insisted, echoing calls from other opposition leaders for a detailed public accounting of the revision process. Without it, they argue, the legitimacy of the upcoming elections could be called into question.
As reported by Coffee Par Kurukshetra, the numbers themselves are stark: 4.7 million names removed, 1.78 million new voters added, and a final tally of 74.2 million eligible voters. These figures, while precise, offer little comfort to those who feel the process has left too many questions unanswered. The timing of the release—just weeks before the Assembly elections—only heightens the sense of urgency.
For Bihar’s political parties, the stakes could hardly be higher. With Assembly elections scheduled for November 2025, every constituency is being watched closely. The removal of such a large number of voters could have significant implications for the outcome, particularly in closely contested seats. Both the ruling coalition and the opposition are scrambling to analyze the impact, with some parties reportedly launching their own surveys to assess how the changes might affect their chances.
The controversy also highlights broader issues of electoral integrity and public trust in democratic institutions. India, the world’s largest democracy, relies on the credibility of its electoral rolls to ensure that every eligible citizen has a voice. When millions of names are removed without clear explanation, it risks undermining that trust—especially in a state like Bihar, where political passions run high and historical grievances linger.
According to experts familiar with the process, special revisions are not uncommon in Indian states. They are intended to clean up the rolls, removing ineligible names and adding new voters who have come of age or moved into the area. But the process is supposed to be transparent and accountable, with clear communication to those affected. Notices to verify documents, for example, should be sent in a timely and accessible manner, giving voters a fair chance to respond before their names are struck off. In Bihar’s case, critics argue, that hasn’t happened—or, at the very least, the process hasn’t been explained clearly enough to the public.
What’s more, the presence of foreign nationals on the rolls, as alleged by Bhattacharya, adds another layer of complexity. While accidental inclusion of ineligible names can occur, especially in areas with high migration or porous borders, it is the Election Commission’s responsibility to investigate and rectify such issues swiftly. Without transparency about how these cases are handled, suspicions can fester, fueling conspiracy theories and eroding faith in the system.
For voters themselves, the confusion is palpable. Many are left wondering whether their names are still on the list, and if not, whether they were given a fair opportunity to contest their removal. In a state where access to information can be patchy and bureaucratic hurdles high, even a simple verification process can become a major obstacle. Community organizations and political parties are scrambling to help citizens check their status and, if necessary, appeal their exclusion—but with the election clock ticking, time is running short.
Meanwhile, the Election Commission faces mounting pressure to address the concerns head-on. Calls for greater transparency are growing louder, with civil society groups and opposition leaders demanding a full breakdown of the deletions: how many were due to death, how many to migration, how many to duplication, and how many—if any—were mistakes. Some have suggested that independent observers or third-party audits might help restore confidence in the process, though the Commission has yet to respond to these proposals.
For now, Bihar’s political landscape remains in flux. The final voter list, far from settling questions about the upcoming election, has instead opened a new front in the ongoing battle over electoral fairness. As parties prepare for the November polls, the fate of millions of would-be voters hangs in the balance—a reminder that, in democracy, every name on the list counts.
With the Assembly elections just weeks away, all eyes are on the Election Commission to provide answers. Whether those answers will come in time to restore public trust remains to be seen, but one thing is certain: in Bihar, the question of who gets to vote is far from settled.
