ECI Reports No Objections Filed on Draft Electoral Rolls

Fast Summary

• The Election Commission (ECI) stated it has not received any claims or objections from political parties regarding the draft electoral rolls in Bihar as the submission window opened on August 1, 2025.
• Over a week into the Claims and Objections period, 7,252 claims and objections have been submitted directly by individual electors.
• Forms for new voter registrations from individuals aged 18 years and above total 43,000 so far.
• Per ECI guidelines, Electoral Registration Officers (ERO) or Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AERO) must resolve claims and objections after conducting an inquiry within seven days of receipt.
• A name cannot be deleted from the draft list without a formal “speaking order” after providing reasonable possibility to affected individuals.
• The Special intensive Revision (SIR) process has sparked controversy. Opposition INDIA bloc alleges potential large-scale voter deletions, leading to protests in Parliament during this year’s monsoon session.
• Congress leader Rahul Gandhi accused the ECI of enabling “vote theft,” citing alleged discrepancies with over one lakh votes in Karnataka’s Mahadevapura Assembly elections.

Indian Opinion Analysis

The current debate surrounding Bihar’s Special Intensive Revision underscores broader concerns about electoral integrity. While no political party has formally lodged grievances regarding the draft rolls thus far, individual submissions indicate proactive participation by voters.however,accusations of procedural irregularities-whether tied to Bihar’s process or Congress’s claims of “vote theft” elsewhere-highlight persistent skepticism surrounding India’s election ecosystem.

It is essential that India’s democratic institutions uphold openness during sensitive processes like electoral revisions. Parliament protests by opposition parties further indicate rising mistrust toward governance structures on safeguarding voters’ rights. Ensuring detailed investigations alongside adherence to rules like formal “speaking orders” could mitigate some areas of concern.

For read more: The Hindu