The Election Commission of India (ECI) clarified on Saturday in response to concerns raised by Congress regarding a discrepancy of nearly 300,000 voters in Bihar’s electoral roll figures released before and after polling. The Congress party questioned why Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar stated in an October 6 press note that the total number of voters in Bihar was 74.2 million, while a subsequent Commission press release after voting indicated the figure was 74.5 million. They alleged a lack of transparency and requested an explanation for this sudden increase.
The ECI responded that the 74.2 million figure mentioned on October 6 was based on the data available after the final publication of the electoral roll on September 30, which followed a special revision before the announcement of the election schedule. The Commission emphasized that the September 30 electoral roll is considered the baseline for elections. However, according to election regulations, any eligible citizen can apply for enrollment until 10 days before the last date for filing nominations for each election phase. This application window remains open even after the election announcement, allowing new voters to submit claims for inclusion.
Officials stated that between October 1 and the cutoff period — 10 days before the nomination deadlines for both phases — the ECI received a significant number of valid applications. After review, all eligible voters were added to ensure that no qualified citizen is denied the right to vote, resulting in an increase of approximately 300,000 voters, bringing the total to around 74.5 million.
