Bihar SIR: Final list shows massive voter deletions in border districts, rise in BJP strongholds

A close look at the final voter list for Bihar released by the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Tuesday, 30 September, reveals that several districts have seen a drop in the number of voters when compared to the previous list, while some others have seen an increase.

Districts which have shown a declining trend include Kishanganj in Seemanchal and Gopalganj, Lalu Yadav's home district. On the other hand, some districts with urban areas, like Patna, have seen an increase in the numbers.

The ECI list puts the number of voters in Bihar at 7.42 crore. This figure comes after a three-month Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise. Before the start of SIR, on 24 June, the EC estimated that Bihar had 7.89 crore voters. Thus, after a three-month exercise, it can be safely said, as per the latest list, that Bihar has lost around 47 lakh voters.

The ECI has said the draft list released on 1 August had deleted 65 lakh voters. However, within a month, the names of 36.6 lakh more voters were deleted, while 21.53 lakh names were added. However, the ECI has not disclosed how many of these voters are new or first time voters, and how many of the 21.53 lakh voters who have been added have been re-added after their names were first deleted from the draft list.

As per the final list, the districts which registered a drop include East Champaran, West Champaran, Sitamarhi, Madhubani, Supaul, Kishanganj and Purnia — all of which are close to the Bangladesh and Nepal borders and have been making news with regard to infiltrators.

The Mahagathbandhan’s ‘Atipichhda Nyay Sankalp’: The battle for Bihar’s EBC heartland

These seven districts have also not seen an increase in the number of voters. Besides these seven, the number of voters has also decreased in Gopalganj and Bhagalpur.

If one takes a close look at the district-wise situation, Gopalganj district had a total of 2,055,845 voters when the SIR exercise began on 24 June. In the 30 September list, this number is 1,806,465 — approximately 2.5 lakh or a 12 per cent decrease. 

Gopalganj is the home district of former chief minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, but it would seem that his party — the Rashtriya Janata Dal — has not had much influence in the district. In the 19 elections held here since 1951, the RJD has won only once. The JDU won this seat in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

The district’s demographic structure also plays a significant role in electoral dynamics where SCs account for 11.93 per cent of the population, STs 2.05 per cent, and Muslims approximately 22.6 per cent. Rural voters account for 84.7 per cent, while urban voters comprise the balance.

Similarly, Kishanganj has seen a decline of 104,488 voters compared to its previous list. The total number of voters on 24 June was 12.19 lakh, now down to 11.2 lakh. Kishanganj is considered the political hub of Seemanchal. The Muslim population in the district is approximately 68 per cent. Asaduddin Owaisi's party achieved significant success in this region in the last Assembly elections, but several of his MLAs later quit and joined the RJD.

Split wide open: NDA’s seat-sharing dilemma in Bihar

Additionally, Saran district has seen a decrease of 2.24 lakh voters from 31.27 lakh voters on 24 June to 29.02 lakh now. In the last Lok Sabha elections, Saran witnessed a contest between the Yadavs and Raghuvanshis. The RJD candidate and Lalu Yadav’s daughter Rohini Acharya was defeated by Rajiv Pratap Rudy of the BJP. Saran is also considered the birthplace of Jai Prakash Narayan, the father of the Total Revolution. In the last Assembly election, the RJD won four of the six seats in Saran district, while the BJP won only two.

In Samastipur too, a similar trend can be seen with a decrease of 2.18 lakh voters followed by Purnia (1.90 lakh), Bhojpur (1.41 lakh), Begusarai (1.15 lakh), and Buxar (over 68,000).

In Madhubani district, there is a drop of 2,66,900 voters, while Sitamarhi has dropped 1,77,474, Supaul 1,03,675 and East Champaran 7,834.

Patna district leads the list of increase in voters with an addition of 1,63,600 names — up from 4,651,694. The state capital is considered a BJP stronghold, which has dominated the district’s politics for nearly three decades.

Darbhanga, another BJP stronghold, saw an increase of 80,947 voters. After the 1999 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP has been consistently winning from here, except last time when Darbhanga rural was wrested by the RJD. The district has six Assembly seats and the NDA holds the remaining five. Muzaffarpur (88,108) and Nawada (30,491) are two other districts which have seen an increase in the number of voters.