On Friday, August 22, 2025, the Supreme Court of India directed political parties contesting the upcoming Bihar Assembly election to assist the Election Commission of India (EC) in ensuring that voters excluded from the draft electoral roll are included. A bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi issued the directive, urging state party leaders to instruct their booth-level agents (BLAs) to help facilitate the claims and objections process for the affected voters.
The draft electoral roll, published as part of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, revealed that 65 lakh voters had been omitted from the list of registered electors in Bihar. This has sparked concerns about the potential disenfranchisement of a significant number of voters ahead of the state assembly elections. The Court’s order emphasizes the urgency of the situation, with only a week remaining before the September 1 deadline for voters to submit their claims and objections regarding their exclusion.
In its ruling, the Court recognized the importance of political parties’ involvement in the electoral process, especially at the grassroots level. BLAs, who are responsible for gathering voter information at the local level, are now expected to actively engage with citizens whose names have been left out of the draft roll. These agents will assist voters in filing their claims to ensure that legitimate electors are not deprived of their right to vote.
The ruling highlights the collaborative role of political parties in strengthening the electoral process, ensuring that no eligible voter is excluded due to clerical errors or procedural oversights. The EC has been urged to take immediate steps to address these discrepancies, and the political parties have been asked to be proactive in helping rectify the situation before the conclusion of the claims-and-objections phase of the revision exercise.
This intervention by the Supreme Court underscores the vital need for transparency and inclusivity in electoral rolls, particularly in a state as politically significant as Bihar.
