Illegal Migrants Found During Bihar Voter List Drive, EC Moves to Tighten Verification Ahead of September Roll

Patna: In a significant development during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, Election Commission field teams have reported the presence of a large number of individuals from Nepal, Bangladesh, and Myanmar during door-to-door verification efforts. The discovery has raised fresh concerns about the inclusion of illegal migrants in India’s voter lists.

Booth-Level Officers (BLOs) conducting house-to-house verification in all 243 Assembly constituencies have flagged these findings to senior election officials. The Election Commission has assured that none of these foreign nationals will be added to the electoral rolls, and detailed verification of such cases will begin after August 1.

With the final electoral roll set to be published on September 30, the Commission is closely monitoring the process. As of Saturday evening, 80.11% of eligible voters in Bihar had already submitted their Enumeration Forms (EFs). The EC aims to complete form collection by July 25 and finalize the draft roll by August 1.

Currently, more than 77,000 existing BLOs and over 20,000 newly appointed officers are on the ground collecting voter information. Their efforts are being supported by 38 District Election Officers, 963 Assistant Electoral Registration Officers, and 1.5 lakh Booth Level Agents appointed by political parties. In parallel, over 4 lakh volunteers are assisting senior citizens, persons with disabilities, and other vulnerable groups with form submissions.

The EC has printed and distributed Enumeration Forms across the state, with more than 6.32 crore forms already collected. Electors who wish to be included in the upcoming draft roll must submit their forms and supporting documents before July 25. However, the deadline for filing objections or submitting missing documents has been extended to August 31.