Special Intensive Revision as an Electoral Reform Tool in Bihar (2020–2025): Evaluating Its Impact on Voter Registration, Participation, and Governance Outcomes

Abstract

This study examines the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls as an electoral reform tool in Bihar between 2020 and 2025, focusing on its impact on voter registration, electoral participation, and governance outcomes. Implemented under the constitutional mandate of the Election Commission of India (ECI), the SIR aimed to enhance the accuracy, inclusiveness, and credibility of electoral rolls in a state characterized by high population mobility, socio-economic vulnerability, and historically contested elections. The exercise assumed particular significance ahead of the 2025 Bihar Legislative Assembly election, during which over 68.6 lakh names were deleted and 21.5 lakh new voters were added, resulting in a substantial reconfiguration of the electorate. While administratively projected as a necessary cleansing of voter lists to eliminate duplication and ineligible entries, the SIR generated intense political and legal scrutiny, with opposition parties alleging disproportionate disenfranchisement of migrants, minorities, and economically marginalized groups. Judicial interventions by the Supreme Court reinforced transparency and procedural safeguards, underscoring the democratic sensitivity of such revisions. Empirically, the 2025 election recorded the highest voter turnout in Bihar since 1951, with women’s participation reaching unprecedented levels, suggesting that aggregate participation was not adversely affected. However, the SIR’s deeper impact lay in reshaping the compositional balance of the electorate, indirectly influencing electoral outcomes and consolidating a decisive mandate for the ruling coalition. The study concludes that while SIR strengthened administrative integrity and governance stability, its contested implementation highlights the need to balance electoral accuracy with inclusivity and public trust in democratic institutions.