Bihar roll revision: 11,000 'not traceables' electors could be illegal immigrants; EC wary

NEW DELHI: While the peculiar intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rotation successful Bihar is good connected way with simply 32 lakh electors near to beryllium covered, what has caught attraction is the notation of 11,000 “not traceable” electors successful the latest update enactment retired by Election Commission connected Saturday.

Sources told TOI that electors “not traceable” during SIR are perchance amerciable immigrants surviving extracurricular Bihar but who were enrolled successful the authorities with a imaginable intent to make scope for bogus votes.An EC functionary explained that “not traceable” electors were not conscionable not recovered astatine their recorded addresses by the booth level officers (BLOs) but ne'er known to person lived determination adjacent by contiguous neighbours. In immoderate cases, nary location oregon dwelling was recovered astatine these addresses.“It is imaginable that they are amerciable immigrants — perchance Bangladeshis oregon Rohingyas — who whitethorn beryllium surviving successful neighbouring states but someway managed to get themselves electoral photograph individuality cards from Bihar, perchance owed to deficiency of requisite checks during summary revisions oregon adjacent corrupt means,” an authoritative said, adding that this poses a hazard of bogus votes being formed during elections.Nearly 41.6 lakh electors successful Bihar, comprising 5.3% of its full electorate, were not recovered astatine their addresses contempt 3 mandatory visits by BLOs; these see 14.3 lakh (1.8%) astir apt deceased electors, 19.7 lakh oregon 2.5% astir apt permanently shifted electors, 7.5 lakh oregon 0.9% electors enrolled astatine aggregate places; and 11,000 ‘not traceable’ electors.

The fig of perchance deceased electors is besides intriguing, considering that their names had figured successful Bihar rolls arsenic connected June 24, 2025.“The deceased voters were ne'er removed from the list, which creates a leeway for bogus votes. Over 41 lakh missing electors, erstwhile divided crossed constituencies, whitethorn beryllium larger than the triumph borderline successful some,” said an officer, justifying the request for intensive revision of rolls to observe and close specified anomalies.Accounting for 5.3% voters not recovered astatine their addresses frankincense far, astir 96% of Bihar’s 7.9 crore electors person turned successful their enrolment forms. Nearly 88.2% of the 90.6% electors forms received truthful far, person been digitised.