Aadhaar, PAN, pension document, service ID: What documents you can use to vote in Bihar elections

If you are heading to the polling booth, come November, to vote in the Bihar elections, there is a list of things you need to keep in mind. First and foremost, your name is mandatory in the electoral roll for you to be able to vote in the Bihar Assembly Elections 2025. 

Moreover, you will need to furnish identification documents to be able to vote. Electors have been issued Electors' Photo Identity Card (EPIC) to facilitate the identification and prevent impersonation. The Election Commission of India said that EPICs have been issued to nearly 100% of the electors in Bihar and in the eight Assembly Constituencies going to bye-elections.

All election officers have been directed to ensure the delivery of EPICs to the new voters within 15 days of final publication of electoral rolls. 

However, if your name is on the electoral roll but you are unable to produce the EPIC, then you could provide any of the following documents for identification: 

1. Aadhaar card
2. MNREGA job card
3. Passbooks with photograph issued by bank/post office
4. Health insurance smart card issued under the scheme of Ministry of Labour/Ayushman Bharat Health Card
5. Driving licence
6. PAN card
7. Smart card issued by RGI under NPR
8. Indian passport
9. Pension document with photograph
10. Service identity cards with photograph issued to employees by central or state governments/PSUs/Public limited companies
11. Official identity cards issued to MPs/MLAs/MLCs

Unique Disability ID (UDID) card issued by the M/o Social Justice & Empowerment, Government of India

It must be mentioned here that the government will also make special arrangements at the polling stations to encourage participation of ‘purdanasheen’ – in burqa or purdah –  women for their identification in the presence of lady polling officers or attendants.

BIHAR ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS 2025

The Bihar Assembly Elections 2025 will be held in two phases on November 6 and 11, with the counting of votes scheduled for November 14, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar announced. The current term of the 243-member Bihar Assembly concludes on November 22.

The elections will cover 243 constituencies, with 121 seats voting on November 6 and 122 constituencies on November 11. The first phase will primarily focus on central Bihar, including flood-prone and rural areas, while the second phase will cover the border regions. The total number of electors is 7.43 crore, including around 14 lakh first-time voters.

In the 2020 Bihar Assembly elections, the NDA coalition won 125 out of 243 seats, securing a narrow majority. The BJP was the leading partner with 74 seats, followed by JD(U) with 43 seats. HAM and VIP won four seats each. The Mahagathbandhan, led by the RJD, secured 110 seats, with the RJD winning 75 seats, Congress 19 seats, and the Left parties 16 seats.