New Delhi: The Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Bihar has announced that no appeals have been filed by any District Magistrate under Section 24(A) of the Representation of the People Act in any of Bihar’s 243 Assembly constituencies during the 2025 Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
In a post on X, the CEO said: “During the Special Intensive Revision Campaign, 2025 in the state of Bihar, no appeals have been received by the District Magistrate under Section 24(A) of the Representation of the People Act regarding the addition or deletion of names in the electoral rolls by the Electoral Registration Officer in all 243 Assembly Constituencies until 12.10.2025.”
This claim implies that no district-level legal challenges were made against decisions by Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) to add or delete names in the voter lists during the SIR process.
Under SIR, the draft electoral rolls were published on August 1, 2025, after collecting enumeration forms from eligible electors. During this process, about 65 lakh names were identified for deletion (due to death, migration, multiple registrations) and 21.53 lakh new names were added, leading to a revised electoral roll of around 7.42 crore voters.
The Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) has already petitioned the Supreme Court, claiming that SIR 2025 is inconsistent with earlier rules and unfairly shifts proof burdens onto voters.
In fact, the apex court has asked the ECI to furnish details on 3.66 lakh names that were excluded from the final roll, and whether those exclusions are justified, in light of the CEO’s assertion that no appeals have been filed.
Furthermore, in response to concerns from excluded voters, the Supreme Court has directed the Bihar State Legal Services Authority to ensure that district-level bodies help affected individuals file appeals.
(IANS)
