Bihar Assembly Elections 2025: EC To Publish Final Voter List On September 30, Check Who Gets It Free

The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list in Bihar has reached its final stage, with the final electoral roll set to be released on September 30. The updated list is expected to feature the names of nearly 7.3 crore voters, including 14 lakh new registrations.

SIR Process Since June 2025

The Election Commission launched the SIR exercise in June 2025, directing all 7.89 crore registered voters to re-submit their details. On August 1, the draft list was published with 7.24 crore names, after removing around 6.5 lakh entries of deceased, migrated, or duplicate voters. The final roll will now accelerate preparations for the upcoming polls.

Bihar Elections Likely in November

A three-member Election Commission delegation, led by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, will visit Patna on October 4 and 5 to review poll readiness and finalise election dates. Assembly elections are expected to be conducted in three phases between November 5 and 15.

The official announcement of election dates is expected soon after October 6, following which the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) will come into effect across Bihar, restricting transfers, postings, and new government schemes or projects.

Free Voter List for National Parties

As per Election Commission rules, nationally recognised political parties will receive the voter list free of cost, both in hard and soft copy formats. In Bihar, the following parties are eligible:

• Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
• Janata Dal (United) (JDU)
• Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD)
• Congress
• Communist Party of India (CPI)
• Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M)
• National People's Party (NPP)

These parties will receive the voter lists for all 243 assembly constituencies at no charge, accessible through the Election Commission's official portal (ceoelection.bihar.gov.in) or district election offices.

Fee for Regional Parties and Independents

Unrecognised regional outfits, new parties, and independent candidates will have to pay a fee to access the rolls. Notable parties in this category include:

• Jan Suraj Party (JSP)
• Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas)
• Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP)
• All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM)
• Other smaller regional parties and independents

The charges are set at Rs 100 per constituency for a hard copy and Rs 50 per constituency for a soft copy (PDF). For all 243 constituencies, this amounts to Rs 24,300 for hard copies and Rs 12,150 for soft copies. Additional fees may apply for detailed polling station-wise lists.

Assembly Term Ending Soon

The current term of Bihar's 243-member legislative assembly ends on November 22, making it likely that the elections will be conducted in November 2025.