Ahead of the upcoming assembly elections in Bihar, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has uploaded the 2003 Electoral Rolls of the state on its official portal, providing access to details of approximately 4.96 crore electors.
In line with the ECI’s instructions dated June 24, 2025, Chief Electoral Officers, District Electoral Officers, and Electoral Registration Officers have been directed to make the 2003 rolls freely available to all Booth Level Officers (BLOs) in both hard copy and digital formats. This allows electors and officials to easily verify details while filling out the Enumeration Form.
The availability of the 2003 Electoral Roll is expected to ease the documentation process for nearly 60% of Bihar’s electorate, who now only need to verify their details from the roll and submit the form without any additional documents. Those not listed in the 2003 roll may still use the relevant extract for their parents, eliminating the need for other supporting documents for them, though personal documents will still be required.
The ECI emphasized that the revision of electoral rolls before every election is a legal mandate under Section 21(2)(a) of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, and Rule 25 of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960. For 75 years, the Commission has consistently carried out annual roll revisions – both intensive and summary – to ensure accuracy.
Given the dynamic nature of the Electoral Roll, which changes due to deaths, migration, and the addition of new voters turning 18, such revisions are critical. As per Article 326 of the Constitution, only Indian citizens aged 18 and above who are ordinarily resident in a constituency are eligible to be registered as electors.
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