The Claim
Can Aadhaar Help Bihar Voters Get Back on the Electoral Roll.
The Fact
True, with safeguards.
What Did Factcheck India Found?
With the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, lakhs of voters discovered their names missing from the draft list. Social media buzzed with uncertainty: Are these citizens permanently disenfranchised? Can Aadhaar be used to restore their names?. The Supreme Court of India has provided clarity. Citizens excluded from the draft voters’ list can file objections and seek re-inclusion by submitting Aadhaar or any of the 11 officially recognized documents listed in Form 6 by the Election Commission of India (ECI).
How The Entire Process Works?
The Bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi outlined the process:
- Online submissions → No need to upload physical documents.
- Offline submissions → Booth Level Officers must give an acknowledgement receipt.
In short, Aadhaar can indeed be used as valid proof to reclaim one’s place in the voters’ list.
What Does This Mean?
- On June 24, 2025, the ECI ordered a Special Intensive Revision of Bihar’s electoral rolls ahead of the state assembly elections.
- Petitioners, including the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), argued that such a revision could strip lakhs of citizens of their voting rights without due process.
- The ECI, however, defended its powers, citing Article 324 of the Constitution and Section 21(3) of the Representation of the People Act, 1950.
- By August 1, 2025, reports revealed that nearly 65 lakh names were missing from the draft roll.
- Following the Supreme Court’s intervention, the ECI assured that no name would be deleted without prior notice, a hearing, and a reasoned order. It also complied with the Court’s direction to publish the list of proposed deletions.
The Court further urged political parties and Booth Level Agents (BLAs) to actively help citizens who have been excluded, noting with concern that only a handful of objections had been filed so far.
The Verdict
This claim is True, with safeguards. If your name has been excluded from Bihar’s draft electoral roll, you still have the right to be included. By submitting Aadhaar or other valid documents under Form 6, you can reclaim your voting rights.