Bihar’s 2003 Voter List to Go Online for Election Prep

As Bihar gears up for assembly elections later this year, the Election Commission has announced the online availability of the 2003 voter list. This initiative is part of a large-scale revision of the voter rolls. The online accessibility will allow nearly 49.6 million voters to utilize the list for the special intensive revision of the voter rolls, allowing them to attach relevant portions with their nomination forms. As per Election Commission guidelines, voters from the 2003 list will not need to submit further documentation for date or place of birth verification, if they provide the relevant portion of the revised voter list. However, approximately 30 million voters will still need to submit one of the 11 specified documents to confirm their birth information. The primary objective, according to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, is to ensure no qualified voter is missed and no unqualified voter is included. Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) in each constituency are tasked with ensuring the accuracy of the revision. Bihar currently has 243 assembly constituencies and over 78.9 million voters. The 2003 revision was the last comprehensive effort of its kind.