Bihar SIR: Eight border districts account for most notices by Election Commission of India

As the Election Commission of India (ECI) started issuing notices this week to Bihar voters whose documents have not been found satisfactory during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, officials told The Hindu that most of these cases have been identified in border districts such as East Champaran, West Champaran, Madhubani, Kishanganj, Purnia, Katihar, Araria, and Supaul.

While East Champaran, West Champaran, Madhubani, Supaul, and Araria share borders with Nepal, Purnia and Katihar are on the West Bengal border, and Kishanganj shares a border with both Nepal and West Bengal.

The notices are being issued to voters who submitted their enumeration forms and were included in the draft roll, but have either not submitted any supporting document, or have submitted incorrect documents, or whose eligibility — including citizenship — is under doubt, ECI sources said. While the process of issuing notices has begun across the State, the highest number of such cases are from these border districts, they said.

Hearings next week

A host of Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) in these districts confirmed to The Hindu that they have begun the scrutiny of enumeration forms and started issuing notices earlier this week. Hearings will begin next week. In the Raxaul Assembly segment in East Champaran district, for instance, the first hearing will be held on September 3, while the first hearing in the Madhubani Assembly constituency is set for September 7, 2025.

They said that the notices are being delivered physically, with officials ensuring that they are received by the concerned voters themselves.

Each of these notices say that the documents on the basis of which the elector was included in the draft electoral roll were not satisfactory, and direct the voter to appear for a hearing before the ERO at the designated time and place, along with the original copies of their documents.

ERO’s powers

As per the SIR order issued on June 24, the ERO has the power to scrutinise all claims, conduct suo motu inquiries, and issue notices to any elector. In case the person is excluded from the final list after the hearing, the ERO must issue a “speaking order” stating the reasons for the decision.

A speaking order is one where the authority explicitly states the reasons behind its decision, linking it to the evidence, facts, and applicable laws. This ensures that the decision is not arbitrary and reflects sound reasoning.

The draft electoral rolls published by the ECI on August 1 had 7.24 crore names, 65 lakh less than those included in the voter list published before the SIR began. According to the SIR order dated June 25, all voters registered after 2003 were required to submit documents proving their date and/or place of birth — as well as that of their parents, for those born after July 1, 1987 — thereby establishing their citizenship.

The ECI said earlier this week that more than 99% of those who submitted their enumeration forms also submitted the requisite documents.