New Delhi, October 5, 2025 – The Congress party has alleged that approximately 23 lakh women's names have been removed from Bihar's voter list during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The party claims that the majority of these women are from 59 assembly seats where the 2020 elections saw a close contest.
The All India Mahila Congress President, Alka Lamba, voiced these concerns at a press conference, held at the party headquarters. Lamba alleged that the Election Commission (EC) committed "massive fraud" in the name of SIR, at the behest of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. She stated that while there are approximately 3.5 crore women voters in Bihar, around 23 lakh women have been removed from the voter list. According to Lamba, approximately 15 lakh men have also been removed from the electoral roll.
The Congress party has questioned the validity of the votes cast by these women in the Lok Sabha elections last year. They questioned whether those votes were considered fraudulent and whether Members of Parliament were elected using "fake votes".
Lamba claimed that the six districts in Bihar most affected by the removal of women voters are Gopalganj, Saran, Begusarai, Samastipur, Bhojpur, and Purnea, encompassing around 60 assembly seats. She further stated that in the 2020 assembly elections, the INDIA bloc parties won 25 of these seats, while the NDA secured 34, indicating a closely contested electoral landscape. According to the Congress, the EC has committed "massive fraud" in these seats through the SIR.
The Election Commission has faced accusations from the opposition, who allege that the poll body is working at the behest of the ruling BJP. The EC has firmly denied these charges, asserting its commitment to ensuring that no eligible citizen is excluded from the voter list and that no ineligible person is included.
According to reports, the draft list issued on August 1 had 7.24 crore electors after removing 65 lakh voters for reasons such as deaths, migration, and duplication. While 21.53 lakh new electors have been added to the draft list, 3.66 lakh names have been removed, resulting in a net increase of 17.87 lakh. The final figures may change slightly after supplementary lists are published during the election process.
