Mon Sep 01 17:43:03 UTC 2025: Here’s a summary of the text and a rewritten news article:
**Summary:**
The Election Commission of India (ECI) announced that applications for inclusion and exclusion from Bihar’s electoral rolls will be accepted until the last date of nominations for the upcoming Assembly polls, despite the deadline for filing claims and objections to the draft rolls ending. While accepted applications won’t be in the final list (out September 30th), they’ll be added later. The Supreme Court has instructed the ECI to accept Aadhaar or other listed documents for voter inclusion. Significant numbers of applications have been filed for re-inclusion, exclusion, and new registrations. The ECI is addressing incomplete documents and issuing notices, and Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) have the power to scrutinize claims and issue “speaking orders” if someone is excluded from the list. Around 7.24 crore people have been included in the draft rolls published on August 1 — 65 lakh less than those in the earlier July 2025 list.
**News Article:**
**Bihar Elections: ECI to Accept Voter Roll Changes Until Nomination Deadline**
**New Delhi, September 1, 2025** – The Election Commission of India (ECI) has announced that it will continue to accept applications for inclusion and exclusion from Bihar’s electoral rolls until the last date of nominations for the upcoming Assembly elections. This decision comes even as the deadline for filing claims and objections to the draft electoral rolls concluded on Monday.
While these late applications, if accepted, will not be included in the final voter list scheduled for release on September 30th, the ECI assures they will be processed and added as separate additions.
An ECI official confirmed that Paragraph 12(a)(ii) of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) order allows for such inclusions or deletions up to the nomination deadline.
Earlier today, the Supreme Court, hearing petitions from the RJD and AIMIM, was informed by the ECI of its commitment to accept revision forms beyond the initial deadline. The court had previously directed the ECI to accept Aadhaar or any of the 11 listed documents as proof of eligibility for voter inclusion.
According to ECI data, nearly 37,000 applications have been filed for re-inclusion of names, and 217,000 for exclusion. A substantial 1,656,886 new voters, having reached the age of 18, have also applied for registration. The poll panel reports that 99.5% of the 7.24 crore electors in the draft electoral rolls have submitted the necessary eligibility documents.
The draft rolls published on August 1 included 7.24 crore people — 65 lakh less than those in the earlier July 2025 list. The ECI has noted that the majority of claims and objections filed by political parties pertain to the exclusion, rather than the inclusion, of names.
The ECI is currently addressing incomplete documents, having issued approximately 300,000 notices to affected electors. Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) are empowered to scrutinize all claims, conduct inquiries, and issue “speaking orders” providing clear reasons for any exclusions from the voter list. This ensures transparency and prevents arbitrary decisions.