Bihar Election 2025: Voter List Row & Reforms Explained

Patna, October 6: Bihar is heading into another election season, and the air already feels thick with arguments, allegations, and promises. The Election Commission of India (ECI) says it has made the state’s voter list “cleaner than ever,” but the Congress insists that what has been called “purification” is actually a quiet purge.

The List That Sparked a Storm

The ECI’s Special Intensive Revision of the electoral rolls, its first major clean-up in over two decades, has turned into a political flashpoint. Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar told reporters that the list has been “purified after 22 years,” with 21.53 lakh new voters added and 3.66 lakh names removed. Bihar now has about 7.42 crore registered voters.

Kumar described it as a simple housekeeping job: removing duplicates, deleting names of the deceased, and registering new voters. “It’s routine work, not politics,” he said.

But for the Congress, it is anything but routine. The party alleges that nearly 23 lakh women voters have been removed, mostly from Dalit and Muslim pockets. “These are not random deletions,” one senior leader said. “They are deletions with design.”

The RJD has echoed those concerns, calling the process “selective.” Party workers claim that several constituencies where the Mahagathbandhan had narrow wins in 2020 have seen sudden drops in women voters.

The Election Commission, for its part, stands firm. Officials say every name removed was cross-verified by local officers and that the entire roll has been shared with all political parties for transparency.

The New Polling Model

Alongside the voter roll controversy, the ECI is introducing new measures to make polling “smoother and faster.” Among them is a mobile deposit facility, a small administrative reform with big expectations. The idea is to let voters complete verification steps outside the booth, reducing crowding and saving time.

Officials say this service will run through small mobile counters in high-turnout areas. “It’s a pilot. If it works, it may be rolled out nationwide,” said an ECI source quoted by The Economic Times.

Every polling station will now have ramps, wheelchairs, and braille EVMs, along with priority queues for senior citizens and voters with disabilities. The CRPF will handle security in all 243 constituencies, with special attention to Siwan, Purnea, and Gopalganj, which have reported tension in past polls.

Congress Brings In Its Big Guns

In the middle of the controversy, the Congress has reshaped its Bihar team. Veteran leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury has been appointed the poll observer, joined by Ashok Gehlot and Bhupesh Baghel for overall coordination. Subhankar Sarkar, the state chief, will oversee ground operations.

The party is placing particular focus on women’s outreach, aiming to reconnect with a group that once strongly backed Nitish Kumar for his social welfare policies but has drifted in recent years.

Accusations of Bias

The tone turned sharper when Congress MP Akhilesh Prasad Singh accused the ECI of “compromising with the government.” In remarks published by Navbharat Times, Singh said, “The umpire has made a deal,” referring to the timing of new welfare announcements by the Nitish Kumar government like free LPG refills and housing credit schemes, barely weeks before the code of conduct kicks in.

The ECI has not commented directly, but reminded parties that once the poll dates are declared, all such schemes fall under the purview of the Model Code of Conduct.

Political observers note that Bihar’s history is filled with such allegations. Even in 2015, the JD(U) and RJD accused the Commission of bias against them only to win comfortably. “Distrust of the referee,” said one Patna-based academic, “is as old as Bihar’s democracy.”

What Happens Next

The Election Commission will announce the poll dates at 4 PM today, as confirmed by NDTV. Sources from India Today suggest the voting will be held in two phases, likely in the first half of November.

The term of the current Assembly ends on November 22, giving the state less than two months to go from campaign to counting day. District election officers have already been told to finish staff training and equipment checks by October 20.

Every booth will now have trained helpers for elderly and disabled voters, as reported by The Indian Express. The ECI says it wants “zero barriers to voting.”

Nitish, Tejashwi, and the New Challengers

The core contest is unchanged: Nitish Kumar, leading the NDA, versus Tejashwi Yadav, the face of the RJD-Congress alliance.

Nitish began his campaign in style this morning, cutting the ribbon on a 3.45-km elevated corridor of the Patna Metro, a project he has linked to his promise of “vikas” or development.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), trying to expand its national footprint, released its first list of 11 candidates. Political strategist Prashant Kishor has hinted at backing independents through his Jan Suraaj movement, offering voters a so-called “third option.”

The Real Stakes

Bihar’s 2025 election is more than a routine vote. It will show whether people still trust the system that counts their votes. The Election Commission’s attempt to modernise and clean the rolls could either rebuild faith or deepen suspicion, depending on how fairly the process unfolds.

For the BJP, Bihar is crucial to maintaining its national alliances after the general election. For Nitish Kumar, it could be the last big test of his long political career. And for Tejashwi Yadav, this is a chance to prove he can lead, not just inherit.

Bihar’s voters 57 percent of whom are under 40 will decide which story they believe. Jobs, prices, and migration are the issues that matter most on the ground. But, as always, faith in the system may matter just as much as faith in the candidates.

For now, all eyes are on the 4 PM announcement, which will officially kick off one of India’s most closely watched state elections.

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Ananya Sharma

Senior Political Correspondent – Ananya@hindustanherald.in – Web

Covers Indian politics, governance, and policy developments with over a decade of experience in political reporting.

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