The Election Commission (EC) has commenced a special intensive revision (SIR) of Bihar's electoral rolls, despite facing strong opposition from various political parties. This initiative requires nearly 2.93 crore voters in Bihar to produce documents verifying their date and place of birth, as well as those of their parents if they were born after 1987. The opposition has criticized the timing and potential consequences of this revision, alleging that it could lead to the disenfranchisement of vulnerable voters.
The EC has defended its decision, stating that the revision is progressing on schedule and is unlikely to be halted or postponed. The draft electoral roll is expected to be published on August 1st for corrections. The poll panel has emphasized its constitutional mandate to ensure fair and accurate electoral rolls, asserting that the SIR has commenced successfully with the participation of all political parties. To facilitate the process, the EC has already deployed 77,895 booth-level officers (BLOs) and plans to add another 20,603. Additionally, over one lakh volunteers will assist voters, especially the elderly, individuals with disabilities, the poor, and other vulnerable groups.
Opposition parties have voiced strong concerns about the SIR. Leaders from the INDIA bloc have criticized the timing of the revision, suggesting it is a veiled attempt to disenfranchise sections of the electorate to favor the ruling alliance. Some have gone so far as to brand the exercise as more dangerous than the National Register of Citizens (NRC), with Trinamool Congress leader Derek O'Brien likening it to a "backdoor NRC" and questioning whether it's a "new version of that Nazi ancestor pass?". The Congress party has also expressed concerns about the risk of willful exclusion of voters through the use of state machinery. RJD Rajya Sabha MP Manoj Kumar Jha questioned the timing of the exercise, particularly with Bihar elections expected in just two-and-a-half months. He said that the process could have started much earlier and expressed concerns that the entire exercise is a kind of cover.
The EC has attempted to address these concerns by providing multiple options for voters to submit documents, including uploading them via the ECINET app or the ECI website. Officials have also stated that all documents will be uploaded to ECINET to ensure transparency and will be accessible to authorized election officials only. Additionally, every BLO will be accompanied by party-nominated agents, and citizens omitted in the draft list may file claims or objections.
Despite these assurances, opposition parties remain skeptical. Some leaders argue that the government is essentially choosing the voters, rather than the other way around. They fear that the stringent documentation requirements will disproportionately affect poor, rural, and minority electors, leading to their exclusion from the electoral rolls.
In response to the opposition's allegations, leaders from the NDA have asserted that the INDIA bloc is "scared of losing the polls". They argue that the revision process is essential for transparency and to remove anomalies from the voter lists, such as deceased individuals or missing eligible voters. Some NDA leaders have pointed out the presence of bogus voters in certain constituencies, suggesting that the SIR will help eliminate these irregularities. The last such intensive revision in Bihar was conducted in 2003. Officials have indicated that Bihar's SIR will serve as a pilot for similar drives in Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Puducherry, whose assemblies expire in 2026.
