Archive · 16 Aug 2026
CEC: Record 67.25% Bihar Turnout Beats US, UK, France, Spain
In the Indian state of Bihar, millions of people voted in the 2025 assembly elections, and the person in charge of running fair elections wants everyone to know how well it went.
His name is Gyanesh Kumar, and he is the Chief Election Commissioner of India.
Before the election, Bihar did a big cleanup of its voter list, called the Special Intensive Revision.
Workers spent three months checking the list and removed about 70 lakh — that is around seven million — names that were mistakes.
After the cleanup, a record number of people came out to vote.
More than 67 out of every 100 people who could vote did vote — the highest ever in Bihar since India became an independent country.
Mr. Kumar said that is more than the voting rates in big countries like the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Spain, and Japan.
He is now visiting Bihar for two days to meet election helpers and find ways to make voting easier for everyone.
He will also start a new program called Electoral Literacy Club 2.0 to teach students in schools and colleges about voting and democracy.
This matters because Bihar is home to Vaishali, an ancient city that is called the cradle of democracy.
Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar said the 'successful' Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Bihar's electoral rolls led to a significant rise in voter turnout in the 2025 assembly polls.
Around 70 lakh names were removed from the electoral rolls during the three-month SIR exercise, the first time it was conducted in Bihar.
The November 2025 Bihar assembly polls registered a 67.25 per cent voter turnout, the highest for the state since Independence.
The CEC said the turnout was higher than in major democracies including the US, the UK, France, Spain and Japan.
During his two-day Bihar tour, Kumar will meet around 500 booth-level officers at Nalanda University and launch Electoral Literacy Club 2.0 and ECINET in Patna.
- Who
- Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the Election Commission of India.
- What
- Announced that the successful Special Intensive Revision of Bihar's electoral rolls boosted voter turnout in the 2025 assembly polls to a record 67.25 per cent, higher than in the US, the UK, France, Spain and Japan, and unveiled new electoral outreach programs.
- When
- The CEC spoke on Sunday during a two-day tour of Bihar; the assembly polls were held in November of the previous year.
- Where
- Patna airport in Bihar, India; the tour also covers Rajgir (Nalanda University), Sitamarhi, Madhubani and Vaishali.
- Why
- To highlight the success of the electoral roll revision in raising voter participation and to make the electoral process more effective and accessible.
- Voter turnout (2025 Bihar assembly polls)
- 67.25 per cent
- How turnout compares
- Higher than the US, UK, France, Spain and Japan, per the CEC
- Names removed in SIR
- Around 70 lakh
- SIR duration
- Three months
- Chief Election Commissioner
- Gyanesh Kumar
- Polls held
- November of the previous year (2025)
- Scheduled interaction
- Around 500 booth-level officers at Nalanda University, Rajgir
- Programs to be launched
- Electoral Literacy Club 2.0 and ECINET
