PATNA, Aug. 17 -- Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar on Sunday asserted that the "successful" special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar last year led to a significant rise in voter turnout in the assembly polls that followed.

Addressing mediapersons at Patna airport, the CEC, who is on a two-day tour of the state, said thatthe voting percentage in the 2025 Bihar assembly polls was not only the highest in the state since Independence but also higher than turnouts witnessed in the general elections in some advanced countries such as the US, the UK, France, Spain and Japan.

"Bihar is the land where Vaishali, the cradle of democracy, is situated. We take pride in the fact that the SIR was conducted here succe...