EC Publishes List of 65 Lakh Deleted Voters in Bihar After SC Directive

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has released a list of nearly 65 lakh voters removed from Bihar’s draft rolls following the Supreme Court’s August 14 order, amid rising concerns over electoral transparency and voter privacy.

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, addressing a press conference on Sunday, clarified that the names were deleted as part of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process and the list was uploaded on District Magistrates’ websites within 56 hours of the SC directive. The searchable list can be accessed using EPIC numbers, in line with the apex court’s guidelines.

Kumar stressed that the court had not directed the EC to share machine-readable lists, citing potential risks to voter privacy. He also defended the timing of the revision, which was conducted ahead of the state’s Assembly elections, stating it was aimed at correcting long-standing discrepancies in voter rolls.

On allegations of “fake voters”, the CEC clarified that many residents were previously registered without house numbers due to inadequate numbering systems in panchayats and municipalities. “To call them fake voters is wrong,” he said.

Responding to Rahul Gandhi’s allegations of “vote chori”, Kumar criticised the Congress leader for publicly sharing voters’ photographs without consent and asked him to submit an affidavit with evidence within seven days or issue a public apology.

As per the SC order, the EC has now published a district-wise list of deleted voters with reasons for deletion, including death, migration, or duplicate entries. A dedicated link has been activated on the EC website for easy public access.