The Election Commission has drawn up plans to equip all electors of Bihar with new voter identity cards following the completion of the state’s special intensive revision of electoral rolls. A final decision on the timing and manner of the exercise is, however, still awaited.
Officials explained that when electors were provided with enumeration forms, they were asked to attach their latest photographs. These updated images, once verified, will be used for the issue of fresh voter cards. According to data from the Commission, 99 per cent of those who had collected the forms have already returned them with the required details.
The draft roll for Bihar, published on August 1, records 7.24 crore electors. The final electoral list is scheduled for release on September 30, setting the stage for assembly elections that are likely to be held in November. The tenure of the present assembly ends on 22 November, by which time a new House must be constituted.
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Officials said nearly 30,000 applications have been received from citizens seeking inclusion of their names in the voters’ list, pointing to gaps in the draft roll.
Bihar has also marked a first in electoral administration, as the number of electors per polling station has been brought down from 1,500 to a maximum of 1,200 under a rationalisation plan aimed at minimising crowding on polling day. As a result, polling stations across the state have risen from 77,000 to 90,000.
According to the Election Commission, this rationalisation exercise will eventually extend to the rest of the country. During the last Lok Sabha elections, India had 10.5 lakh polling stations.
While the final word is awaited on the rollout of new voter cards, officials maintained that the groundwork undertaken in Bihar signals a wider administrative shift in the conduct of elections across the country.
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