India’s Election Commission Posts List of 6.5 Million Removed Bihar Voters After Court Order
NEW DELHI, India – August 18, 2025:The Election Commission of India (ECI) moved fast after getting an order from the Supreme Court, posting a list with the names of about 6.5 million voters taken off the rolls in Bihar.
Gyanesh Kumar, the head of the ECI, said Sunday that they got the job done in just 56 hours after the Supreme Court told them on Thursday to make the list public. You can now find the list on district websites, along with why each person was removed—usually because they died, had duplicate registrations, or moved away.
Why the Supreme Court Stepped In
The Supreme Court’s order on August 14, 2025, came after some groups complained about how the ECI was updating the voter lists in Bihar before elections. The judges wanted to make sure everything was open and transparent.
They said the ECI had to share the names of everyone removed, along with the reasons, and make the lists easy to search using voter ID numbers. The lists also had to be posted at local government offices so people without internet could still check them. People who had complained said this was a win because they thought the removals weren’t clear and could stop many people from voting.
Political Fight Over Voter Removals
The fact that over 6.5 million names were removed from the voter lists caused a big political fight in Bihar. Opposition parties like the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Indian National Congress (INC) accused the ECI of helping to block real voters. They said the ECI was rushing the update to mess with the election.
The ECI said all the removals were normal and needed to keep the voter lists clean. Gyanesh Kumar repeated that the removals were based on checking every house. The ECI said 2.2 million of the removed voters had died, 3.6 million had moved or couldn’t be found, and 700,000 had registered twice.
ECI Defends Actions
Gyanesh Kumar pointed out that the ECI acted very quickly after getting the Supreme Court’s order. He said posting the data in just over two days proved the ECI was open and had the tech to back it up. Kumar also denied any political bias.
Kumar said the ECI supports every voter and wants fair elections. He added that political parties got copies of the voter lists, and people have a month until September 1 to complain and get their names added back with proof, like their Aadhaar card, which the Supreme Court said was okay to use.
Political Reactions
Opposition parties are saying the Supreme Court’s order and the ECI’s actions are a big win for democracy. Leaders from the RJD and Congress are saying the court proved their worries about the voter list update were real. The Congress is even planning a campaign to teach people about their voting rights.
The ruling party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), is defending the ECI and accusing the opposition of spreading lies for political reasons. A government minister has criticized the opposition a lot. Now that the voter lists are public, it’s up to political parties and regular people to make sure no real voters get left out. The Supreme Court will hear an update from the ECI on August 22.
