Voter Reboot

In a state long associated with electoral apathy, Bihar’s first phase of polling in its 2025 Assembly elections has delivered a quiet revolution. A record 64.66 percent turnout across 121 constituencies marks not merely a statistical leap, but a sociopolitical shift. It is 9.3 percentage points higher than the 2024 Lok Sabha election in the same seats, and 8.8 points above the 2020 Assembly polls and is the highest since 2010. But behind this democratic surge lies an unlikely catalyst, which is the Election Commission of India’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls.

The SIR was designed to purge Bihar’s electoral list of ghost voters, duplicates, and long-migrated names. Between the 2024 general election and the 2025 Assembly polls, the state’s rolls shrank by 3.07 million electors, or roughly 4 percent of the total. In the 121 constituencies that went to the polls, 1.53 million names were deleted. On paper, such pruning ought to have dampened turnout. Instead, 2.43 crore voters cast their ballots this time, up from 2.15 crore in 2024. A smaller pool of electors, but a larger pool of actual voters - an arithmetic that defies easy explanation.

One interpretation is statistical: a cleaner roll raises turnout mechanically because non-existent or inactive names no longer dilute the denominator. But the data also suggest something more hopeful. Despite the smaller electorate, the number of people who voted increased by 13 percent from the 2024 figure, roughly matching historical growth trends seen when Bihar’s rolls were expanding more rapidly.

The ECI argued that repeated names, migrant entries and outdated registrations artificially depressed Bihar’s turnout, already among the lowest in India’s major states. Early analyses of draft rolls indicated that most deletions involved voters who had not cast ballots for years. The final turnout figures seem to vindicate that claim.

Yet, scepticism is warranted. The ECI does not release voter-level data, making it impossible to verify who was struck off and who turned out. Civil-society groups caution that such clean-ups can sometimes sweep too broadly, accidentally deleting marginalised or mobile populations like migrant workers, the poor or minority groups whose documentation is patchy. For a state with high out-migration and vast rural mobility, even a small administrative error could amount to thousands of missing voters.

Even then, the increased numbers hint at genuine political re-engagement. This has subtly altered Bihar’s electoral chemistry. The ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) may gain from higher participation among OBC and upper-caste voters aligned with Nitish Kumar’s development plank. Yet, the Mahagathbandhan led by Tejashwi Yadav, could equally benefit from youth enthusiasm among Dalit, Muslim and Yadav voters.

Whether the SIR has strengthened or skewed Bihar’s democracy will take more than one election to tell. Initial evidence suggests that a leaner roll has made for a livelier electorate. Still, until transparency improves and voter identities are better safeguarded, the triumph of Bihar’s turnout will remain a qualified success.