EC eyes Bihar model: 75% of voters linked to 2003 roll, nationwide replication on cards

In a move that could reshape how India updates its voter lists, the Election Commission (EC) is looking to replicate Bihar’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) model across the country after the state managed to link over 75% of its 7.89 crore electors to its 2003 electoral roll.

At a conference with Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) on September 10, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi highlighted Bihar’s experience as a benchmark. The state’s success, officials said, could ease the verification burden for voters and tighten the accuracy of electoral rolls ahead of the national rollout.

Bihar Chief Electoral Officer Vinod Singh Gunjiyal, in a detailed presentation, revealed that about 52% of existing electors were directly found on the 2003 roll, while another 25% were mapped through the “parivarik suchi” or family tree method, linking them as children or relatives of voters already present in that roll.

The EC’s June 24 order had made it mandatory for Bihar’s electors to submit fresh forms to remain on the rolls, with additional proof required for those added after 2003. Citizens born after July 1, 1987 were also asked to provide parental documents in line with the Citizenship Act, 1965. While the exercise was expected to re-establish nearly half the state’s electors, the family-tree mapping significantly expanded the verified pool.

“The Commission assessed the preparedness of CEO offices for the nationwide SIR exercise. Bihar’s strategies, challenges, and best practices were shared for replication,” the EC said in a late-evening statement.

Presentations from all state and UT CEOs followed, covering digitization of past rolls, current mapping status, and possible additions to the list of 11 documents currently permitted for verification.

While most CEOs offered no new suggestions, some proposed Aadhaar, the Electors Photo Identity Card (EPIC), or state-specific IDs. The EC has so far resisted including Aadhaar and EPIC, though the Supreme Court this week directed it to accept Aadhaar for Bihar’s SIR.

Bihar’s final roll is set for publication on September 30. The EC, however, is yet to fix a timeline for the nationwide exercise.