Bihar Assembly Elections / EC gives big relief to voters, SIR forms can be submitted even without paper

Bihar Assembly Elections: Ahead of the upcoming assembly elections in Bihar, the Election Commission has launched a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) campaign to update the voter list. The aim of this campaign is to make the voter list accurate and inclusive, so that the name of every eligible person can be included in the list. The commission claims that 94% of the forms have been distributed so far, but voters are also facing some challenges in this process.

Relief for voters

The Election Commission has provided great relief to the voters of Bihar. Now voters can submit the counting form even without papers. The Electoral Registration Officer will approve the nomination on the basis of local investigation or other evidence. However, if voters submit the required documents, the process will become even smoother.

Facility to submit form without photo

Under the new system, if a voter does not have the latest photo available, they can submit the counting form even without a photo. In addition, voters whose names are not recorded in the 2003 voter list will have to submit documents related to date of birth and place of birth. Forms submitted without documents will also be included in the draft voter list, provided they are submitted to the Booth Level Officer (BLO) by July 26, 2025, through online or offline mode.

Progress of the campaign

The SIR campaign has gained momentum in Bihar. According to the data, more than 94% of the enumeration forms have been distributed among the voters, and 13.19% of the forms have been collected back. As of Saturday, July 5, 2025, 1.04 crore (13.19%) enumeration forms have been submitted out of a total of 7.96 crore registered voters.

The Election Commission informed that 1,04,16,545 forms have been received, which is a significant portion of the total 7,89,69,844 registered voters. 1.55 lakh booth level agents (BLAs), appointed by various political parties, are actively cooperating in this process. Each BLA can submit a maximum of 50 certified forms per day.

Challenges and solutions

Although the SIR campaign has made great progress, some voters are facing difficulties in the process. These include availability of documents, lack of awareness, and technical problems. The Election Commission has taken several steps to mitigate these problems, such as accepting forms without documents and photographs. Apart from this, the facility of submitting forms through both online and offline modes has been provided.