Bihar Showcases AI-Powered Remote E-Voting System

Artificial intelligence has entered India’s electoral space with Bihar unveiling a mobile-based AI-driven remote voting system at the India AI Impact Summit 2026. Presented by the Bihar State Election Commission, the platform was described as a digital governance innovation aimed at increasing accessibility. The system was first deployed during the 2025 urban local body elections and may be expanded for future Assembly polls.

India’s First Mobile-Enabled Remote Voting Platform

Bihar’s model is positioned as India’s first mobile-enabled remote voting mechanism. The dedicated Android application, “e-Voting SECBHR”, has been developed by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) in collaboration with the State Election Commission.

The facility primarily targets voters unable to reach polling booths, including migrant workers, students, senior citizens, pregnant women, persons with disabilities and the unwell. The system seeks to enhance voter participation by enabling secure voting through personal smartphones.

Verification and Technological Architecture

To cast a vote, users must download the official application and verify their identity through OTP authentication. This is followed by AI-based facial recognition and live selfie verification, matched against the Electors Photo Identity Card (EPIC) database.

Security features include dual encryption, liveness detection and blockchain-backed storage. Each vote is encrypted, anonymised and added to a decentralised ledger. Decryption is permitted only after polling concludes, through secure digital signatures and multi-factor authentication by authorised officials. Audit trails similar to Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) mechanisms have also been integrated.

Security Claims and Privacy Safeguards

Officials assert that blockchain technology ensures tamper resistance, as altering a vote would require rewriting the entire distributed ledger. Votes are de-identified before storage, separating voter identity from ballot choice. Decryption for counting requires Returning Officers’ Digital Signature Certificates and post-poll hash verification, ensuring transparency without compromising secrecy.

Important Facts for Exams

• EPIC stands for Electors Photo Identity Card issued by the Election Commission.
• Blockchain is a decentralised digital ledger used for tamper-resistant data storage.
• C-DAC operates under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.
• VVPAT enables verification of votes in Electronic Voting Machines.

Potential Vulnerabilities and Evaluation

Despite layered safeguards, concerns remain regarding impersonation, device-sharing risks and facial recognition failures. The system currently operates only on Android devices, limiting universal access. Privacy questions have also been raised over storage of biometric data and device metadata. During the pilot phase, 3,830 mock registrations were successfully completed out of 14,804 attempts, indicating operational feasibility alongside scope for technical refinement.