Less Crowds, More Votes: Bihar’s Polling Reform Sparks National Imitation

As a path-breaking effort to increase the convenience of the voters and decrease waiting time, Bihar is the first Indian state with all its polling stations having fewer than 1,200 electors. This is because of the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) effort to rationalize the distribution of the voters.

 

Key Highlights:

 

- The old 1,500 voters per polling station limit was revised to 1,200

 

- 12,817 new polling stations have been added, bringing the number to 90,712 from 77,895

 

- The 96.23 percent of the electors have been captured in SIR exercise

 

- Around 43.93 lakh voters were not present at their registered location; 29.62 lakh forms are not returned

 

Operational Strategy:

 

- Interviews with the senior leaders or representatives of all 12 major political parties to coordinate outreach

 

- 1.5 lakh Booth Level Agents deployed to contact unverified voters

 

- Political parties must work mission mode so that there is no left-out eligible voter

 

Public Engagement:

 

- Electoral rolls to be made public on 1 August 2025

 

- The individuals may protest against insertions, deletions, or modifications from that date and thereafter

 

National Implication:

 

Bihar's model will be followed in other union territories and states, offering a new model for voter engagement and election efficiency.

 

Source: Moneycontrol, ThePrint, Indian Express