Leaders from several INDIA bloc parties have raised serious objections to the Election Commission of India’s (EC) Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, alleging that the timing of the exercise could result in the disenfranchisement of at least two crore voters.
According to a PTI report, representatives from 11 parties—including the Congress, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), CPI(M), CPI, CPI(ML) Liberation, NCP-SP, and Samajwadi Party—met Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and other commissioners to voice their concerns over the revision drive.
‘This disenfranchisement is worst attack on Constitution’s basic structure’: Abhishek Singhvi
After the meeting, Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi warned of a potential disenfranchisement crisis, stating, “A minimum of two crore persons may be disenfranchised in this exercise as many, especially the SCs, STs, migratory and impoverished, among the nearly eight crore voters in Bihar may not be in a position to present their and their parents’ birth certificates to the poll authorities in such a short period.”
Singhvi criticised the timing of the revision, arguing that if elections held over the past two decades had been based on the same rolls, questioning their validity now was unreasonable. “This disenfranchisement, disempowerment is the worst attack on the basic structure of the Constitution,” he asserted, adding that deleting or wrongly adding even one voter affects elections and democracy.
He highlighted the challenges faced by backward communities, flood-affected residents, and migrant workers in securing required documents within the stipulated time, saying, “It is easy to say that the volunteers will help him, but if a person does not get the certificate within the time limit, that individual loses a place in the electoral roll.”
RJD leader Manoj Jha described the meeting with the EC as “not cordial” and expressed disappointment at the poll body’s response, saying, “Is this an effort to disenfranchise people? The 20 per cent Biharis who migrate outside the state are the target. If the purpose of an exercise becomes exclusion instead of inclusion, what should we do?”
He criticised what he termed a lack of concern for the poor and backward classes in Bihar, questioning whether the drive’s aim was to identify so-called “doubtful voters.”
CPI(ML) leader alleges ‘votebandi’
CPI(ML) General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya said the parties’ concerns had deepened following the meeting, as they “did not get any satisfactory reply.” He stated that the EC had told them that voters listed since 2003 would be presumed citizens of India, while others would have to prove citizenship—a move he argued disproportionately impacts the poor who may lack documentation.
“We said this reminds people of Bihar of ‘notebandi’ (demonetisation), and it is being called ‘votebandi’ (disenfranchisement) in Bihar,” he said. Bhattacharya warned, “If you interfere with ‘one person-one vote’, we will take action.”
EC defends timing, denies exclusion motive
According to PTI, Election Commission sources indicated that while some representatives had prior appointments, others were allowed to join as the Commission agreed to meet two representatives from each party. The EC told the delegation that the SIR was being conducted as per Article 326 of the Constitution, the Representation of the People Act, 1950, and instructions issued on 24 June 2025.
The poll body maintained that the revision’s objective was to remove ineligible names and include all eligible citizens, ensuring a fair electoral process. It stressed that additional safeguards had been put in place to prevent illegal migrants from being enrolled.
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