Bihar's Special Intensive Revision: Family registers and school certificates dominate voter enrolment process

New Delhi: The 'family register' or 'vanshavali' and school mark sheets and educational certificates are said to be the most submitted documents of proof in Bihar's ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR), ET has learnt.

The two are among the 11 documents of proof specified by the Election Commission in its June 24 order as valid for voter enrolment. The EC on Sunday stated that 98.2% of electors in Bihar have submitted the required documents, which are now under verification.

Given the concerns over procuring proof documents-especially parental records-the EC has allowed electors to submit them until August 31.


ET gathers that a large segment of the electorate did not need to furnish fresh documents as their details were already in the 2003 electoral roll.

Among the remaining, the family register is learnt to have been submitted as proof in a large number of cases, with considerable assistance from Booth Level Officers in obtaining it.

As per EC estimates-shared in its counter affidavit in the ongoing Supreme Court case on the Bihar SIR-over two crore people are listed in the family register or vanshavali.

The SC & ST Welfare Department of Bihar has counted approximately 40 lakh families, with the names of heads of families recorded in the family register format. The total number of individuals is estimated at two crore, assuming an average of five members per family. The state's Panchayati Raj Department has listed 3.15L families, putting the total at 15.76 L individuals.

A district collector in Bihar told ET that they had pulled out the Vikas Register-maintained under the Mahadalit Vikas Mission-to map the segment and ensure adequate proof for enrolment in the final roll.

Matriculation and other educational certificates have also been submitted by a significant section of the population, according to those in the know.

The EC's counter affidavit estimates nearly three crore certificates serving as documents of proof.

The EC has also stated that of the 7.9 crore electors in the 2025 rolls, 4.9 crore were also listed in the 2003 intensive roll. After excluding the deceased and those who have permanently shifted, about 3.16 crore electors would only need to produce an extract of their names from the 2003 roll, without any additional proof, the EC told the apex court.The EC has marked a major shift in electoral roll revision with the SIR in Bihar, making it mandatory for every elector to submit specified documents of proof-an issue that has sparked debate and is currently before the apex court.