During the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has discovered a significant number of foreign nationals possessing Indian documents. These individuals are identified as being from Nepal, Bangladesh, and Myanmar. The ECI has initiated measures to ensure the integrity of the voter list ahead of upcoming elections, with a focus on removing ineligible names and upholding the voting rights of Indian citizens.

** обнаружение и процесс проверки**

Booth Level Officers (BLOs), while conducting house-to-house visits as part of the SIR, found a "large number" of individuals from Nepal, Bangladesh, and Myanmar listed on the voter rolls. This discovery occurred during the distribution and collection of Enumeration Forms from those registered as voters until June 24, 2025. The ECI has clarified that the names of these illegal migrants will be excluded from the final electoral roll, which is scheduled for publication on September 30, 2025, following a thorough inquiry. This inquiry is set to commence after August 1, 2025.

The verification process requires both existing and prospective voters to provide documentation establishing their Indian citizenship status. Voters have until July 25, 2025, to submit their Enumeration Forms with the necessary citizenship and date of birth documents. Those who cannot provide documents by this date have the option to submit them by August 30, 2025, which is the deadline for filing claims and objections.

Усилия по очистке избирательных списков

The SIR, a comprehensive electoral roll cleansing initiative, began on June 25, 2025, following the ECI's directive issued on June 24. This systematic process aims to purify electoral rolls by removing ineligible names, ensuring that only Indian citizens retain voting rights. Over 77,000 BLOs, supported by government personnel and representatives from political parties, are involved in verifying the credentials of over 7.8 crore registered voters across Bihar.

Реакция и указания Верховного суда

The Supreme Court has addressed petitions challenging the ECI's SIR process in Bihar. While allowing the ECI to proceed with the SIR, the Supreme Court has instructed the poll body to consider widely available documents such as Aadhaar cards, voter identification cards, and ration cards as acceptable proof of eligibility for inclusion in electoral rolls.

Общенациональный охват

The Election Commission will eventually conduct a special intensive revision of electoral rolls across India to weed out foreign illegal migrants by checking their place of birth. The ECI's stated reason for the revision exercise is the "significant change" in electoral rolls over time, due to large-scale additions and deletions since the last intensive revision. These shifts are attributed to rapid urbanization, increased migration for education and livelihood, and voters registering at new addresses without deleting their names from previous residences.

Оппозиция и опасения

Opposition parties have raised concerns about the voter list revision in Bihar. Some leaders have called the exercise "dangerous and bizarre," arguing that the plan to consider voters added after 2003 as "suspects" is an "arbitrary and legally questionable move". There are also concerns that the revision process could disenfranchise poor and migrant workers.