Bihar Polls: No SIRround Sound; Election Commission Silent on Number of 'Aliens' Deleted

As Bihar gears up for the Assembly Elections on November 6 and 11, with vote counting on November 14, a controversy surrounding the deletion of names from the voter list persists, with the Election Commission of India (ECI) facing questions about the transparency and fairness of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.

The ECI announced that the Bihar Assembly elections will be conducted in two phases. The state has a total of 243 seats. The current NDA coalition holds 131 seats, while the Mahagathbandhan has 111.

The SIR, intended to "purify voter lists," has resulted in the deletion of a significant number of names. While the ECI states that 69 lakh voters were deleted due to reasons such as deaths, non-citizenship, migration, and duplication, a detailed breakdown of these categories remains unavailable. The final voter list, released on September 30 after the SIR, reflects a total of 7.42 crore eligible voters, including 3.92 crore men, 3.5 crore women, and 14 lakh first-time voters.

The deletion of approximately 47 lakh names during the 90-day SIR exercise has triggered political debate, especially with polls just a month away. Opposition parties have expressed concern and demanded greater transparency. The ECI's move to remove names of "Absentee, Shifted, and Dead" voters has been met with skepticism.

The Congress party has alleged that the ECI "targeted" Dalit and Muslim women voters during the SIR. All India Mahila Congress President Alka Lamba claimed that approximately 23 lakh women's names have been removed from the voter list, with a significant portion from 59 assembly seats where close contests were witnessed in the 2020 elections.

The ECI has refuted claims of bias, asserting its commitment to ensuring that no eligible citizen is left out of the voter list while preventing ineligible individuals from being included. The commission has also stated that the window remains open for objections to additions or deletions in the Bihar voter list during the SIR exercise and that appeals for any remaining errors can still be filed with the District Magistrate.

Despite these assurances, concerns persist regarding the lack of clarity on the exact criteria and process used for deleting names, leading to accusations of a lack of transparency. The term "aliens" used in the title, while not officially used by the ECI, reflects the anxieties and suspicions surrounding the deletion of names, implying that some deletions may have been arbitrary or discriminatory.

The ECI has made efforts to improve the voting experience, including lowering the number of voters per booth to 1,200 and increasing the total number of booths to 90,000. The commission also plans to tackle fake news and misinformation on social media.

The Bihar Assembly elections are a high-stakes contest between the ruling NDA alliance and the opposition Mahagathbandhan. The controversy surrounding the voter list revisions adds another layer of complexity to the political landscape. As the election approaches, the demand for transparency and accountability from the ECI is likely to intensify.