SIR contributed to record Bihar poll turnout, says CEC

Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on Sunday said the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar last year helped drive a record voter turnout in the 2025 Assembly elections. Speaking in Patna, Kumar said the exercise removed around 70 lakh names from the rolls and was followed by a turnout of 67.25 per cent, the highest in Bihar since Independence, according to the Election Commission. He noted the turnout was higher than those recorded in developed democracies like the United States, the United Kingdom and France.

Kumar said the SIR was conducted successfully in Bihar for the first time, calling it the country's most effective purification exercise for electoral rolls. He also launched Electoral Literacy Club 2.0, an upgraded version of the 2018 programme under the SVEEP initiative, aimed at turning school, college and university clubs into year-round digital platforms for democratic education. The CEC is also set to launch a 'Gen Z' voter awareness campaign from Bihar to engage first-time voters.

Kumar is on a two-day visit to Bihar and will interact with around 500 Booth Level Officers at Nalanda University in Rajgir on Monday, seeking feedback on the SIR process and challenges faced on the ground.