Bihar recorded higher turnout than US, UK, France in assembly polls after SIR: CEC

NEW DELHI: Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar on Sunday said the “successful” Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar last year helped increase voter turnout in the assembly elections that followed.Speaking to reporters at Patna airport, Kumar, who is on a two-day visit to Bihar, said the voter turnout in the 2025 assembly polls was higher than that in countries such as the US, UK and France.“Bihar is the land where Vaishali, the cradle of democracy, is situated. We take pride in the fact that the SIR was conducted here successfully for the first time,” Kumar said.The CEC said the three-month SIR exercise led to around 70 lakh names being removed from the electoral rolls. He said voter turnout rose sharply in the assembly elections held soon after the exercise.“As you all know, men and women came out in large numbers to vote and the turnout broke all records in the state. It may be noted that the voter turnout in Bihar assembly polls was higher than what has been seen, over the years, in major democracies like the US, the UK, France, Spain and Japan,” the CEC added.The Bihar assembly elections, held in November last year, recorded a voter turnout of 67.25%, according to the Election Commission. It was the highest turnout recorded in the state since Independence.In the elections, Bihar gave a massive mandate to the BJP-JD(U)-led NDA alliance, rejecting any signs of anti-incumbency against the long-running Nitish Kumar government. However, months after the polls, Nitish Kumar resigned as chief minister, paving the way for Bihar’s first BJP chief minister Samrat Choudhary.Get the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.