Amid concerns about the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in Bihar, which requires voters to produce documents that few own or know how to procure, the office of the state Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) has asked people to submit filled-out electoral forms without the requisite documents if they do not possess them. Booth-level officers (BLOs) have been asked to upload all the filled-out, signed forms, while the documents can be submitted later.

In an advertisement carried in newspapers in Hindi, the office of the Bihar CEO says: “Fill and submit your enumeration forms with documents and your photograph to BLOs as early as possible. If you do not have requisite documents, send the filled-out, signed forms to the BLOs.”

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While the Election Commission (EC) has not issued any fresh order, the Bihar CEO’s move is being taken as an attempt to allay panic among people, given that the deadline for the final form submission is just two weeks away (July 26).

In instructions to District Magistrates (DMs), the office of the CEO says, “All DMs, collect forms without documents; also ensure maximum forms are collected so that we can ensure maximum number of voters on draft publication …. Documents can be collected afterwards …. and uploaded through BLO dashboard (being developed ) …. Documents can be collected later and uploaded afterwards…. Jo bhi forms baante hai bas enumeration forms filled upload kariye abhi with signature (for now, just upload the filled-out enumeration forms with signature) …. BLOs already know 90% of their voters, Apart from those who have passed away and permanent migration, upload all forms.”

A BLO in a village in Banka district confirmed that these instructions had been issued. “Yes, we are told to accept both kinds of forms, with or without documents. There is panic not just among people but among us. I have over 1,300 enumeration forms to submit with a few sacks of documents that need to be scanned. It does not look possible to complete it by July 26. We are praying for an extension of deadline.”

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He said the exercise was similar to the house-to-house survey conducted three years ago, in which they had been asked to avoid duplicating names and ensure that those who had passed away were not included in the electoral rolls.

The chief electoral officer in Bihar, via a statement on X on Saturday, said: “SIR in Bihar is progressing as per ECI’s order dated 24 June 2025. As per that order, the draft electoral rolls that will be issued on 1 August 2025 will contain the names of the existing electors whose enumeration forms are received.”

The statement added: “All measures are being taken to facilitate the existing electors to complete the documentation. These existing voters will have time to submit the documents even after first submitting their Enumeration Forms. All activities are exactly as per ECI’s order dated 24.06.2025.”

As the ongoing series in The Indian Express reports, the Special Intensive Revision of the state’s electoral rolls sparked concern among voters, from Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s turf in Nalanda and RJD chief Lalu Prasad’s Raghopur in Vaishali district to the Muslim-dominated Seemanchal region about procuring any one of the 11 documents the EC has sought. The concern is especially palpable among those in the margins, from Extremely Backward Classes (EBCs) to minorities. As a report in the series explained, given the socio-economic realities of Bihar, the nature of the 11 documents frames the challenge for the voters, with most people lacking access to these papers.