Bihar SIR Deletions: More Voters Struck Off Than Winning Margins in Key Seats

Amid the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar, recent data from the Election Commission of India (ECI) reveals a significant number of voter deletions in key districts. Patna, Madhubani, and East Champaran—three of the most populous districts—account for 10.63 lakh deletions, representing 16.35% of the total 65 lakh deletions across the state’s 38 districts.

A closer polling-booth level analysis shows that in these districts, women outnumber men in the deletions, and voters aged 18-40 make up 37.8% of the total. The most common reason cited is that voters have “permanently shifted” from their registered addresses.

These districts comprise 36 of Bihar’s 243 Assembly constituencies. In the 2020 Assembly elections, the BJP-JD(U) alliance won 22 of these seats, while the opposition Mahagathbandhan—including the Rashtriya Janata Dal and Congress—secured 14 seats. Notably, in two-thirds of these constituencies, the number of deletions exceeds the winning margin of the last election, highlighting the potential electoral impact of the ongoing revisions.

The SIR process has become a focal point of discussion, with stakeholders scrutinizing its effects on young voters and women in particular. As Bihar gears up for the next Assembly polls, monitoring the finalized electoral rolls will be crucial for all political parties.