With its similarities and differences, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has also taken a massive step forward by revising the electoral rolls of the state. This move is relevant as the state goes to its Assembly elections in 2025. Referred to as the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), the process has elicited both praise and concern in the various political quarters, as some proclaim it as the step in the right direction of eradicating the dirty voter lists, whereas the others highlight the effect and timing of the move. Let us examine why the ECI has demanded the revision, what it involves, and why everyone is making such a big noise about it.
On June 24, 2025, ECI published SIR and the first overhaul of Bihar voter rolls since 2003. What is sought here is that the electoral list will be correct, free of any mistakes, and that it only consists of those who are entitled to vote. Expected to be conducted by November 2025 due to the Assembly elections, ECI wants to wrap this up by September 30, beginning with the house-to-house verification exercise on June 25 and July 26. This revision is necessitated by the need to eliminate such problems as duplicate entries, obsolete voter data, and unqualified voters, among others, that have been on the increasing spiral over the last twenty years due to the high rate of urbanization, migration, and unclaimed deaths.
The current poll voter population of the state of Bihar is approximately 7.8 crore of electorate in 243 Assembly constituencies. Out of this, the number of registered voters in the 2003 electoral roll was 4.96 crore. To these voters, the procedure will be quite easy; they will only be required to fill out a pre-filled enumeration form to confirm their information. The rest of the 2.93 crore people who were registered as voters after 2003, however, have harsher demands. He/she should show evidence of citizenship and records of his/her date and place of birth. In the case where an individual was born after July 1, 1987, other papers that confirm the place and the year of birth of their parents are also necessary. The valid documents must be passports, birth certificates, SC/ST certificates, or an extract of the names of parents from the 2003 voter list, which the ECI believes is adequate to prove any eligibility.
The ECI is defending this change on the basis of the integrity of democracy in constituencies where migrants have changed the voter strength so much in certain constituencies that it has overwhelmed the margin of election victory. Another area that the commission cites as causing concern is that of the presence of foreign illegal immigrants in the voter lists, a fact that has driven most of the controversy. In order to conduct such a huge exercise, ECI has mobilized 77,895 booth-level officers (BLOs) and will appoint 20,000 additional officers to serve in new polling stations. Besides, over one lakh volunteers are helping the vulnerable populations, including the older adults, disabled persons, and the marginalized population, to create inclusivity.
Nevertheless, the political parties have been strongly opposing the SIR, especially the Congress, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), and CPI(ML) Liberation. Detractors state that this is very dangerous, as only months before the elections, such actions by the ECI are considered very suspect. The revision, they fear, may disenfranchise many genuine voters, mostlythe poor, Dalits, minorities, and migrant workers, who may not have the requisite papers. As an example, the birth registration rate in Bihar is very low; less than 75 percent of children and newborns are registered at birth; hence, it is hard to bring out birth certificates for many. Leaders of other opposition parties, such as RJD's Tejashwi Yadav and Congress's Rajesh Kumar, have accused the process of being a conspiracy to hide votes and tagged the process as being similar to the notorious National Register of Citizens (NRC) exercise in Assam. They wonder why they are rushing a project of such scale that took two years to finish in 2003 into completion in a span of two months.
ECI justifies the SIR, which seeks to ensure there are no eligible voters left behind and eliminates ineligible voters. Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar has described it as a proud moment for all Indians, underlining transparency and exercise of appeal by voters who got excluded. They also plan to have a centralized online repository that will facilitate easier voter documentation to enhance accountability among the BLOs. However, opponents still argue that there was no prior consultation made with political parties and the schedule is not workable, particularly among migrant labor who might not happen to be in Bihar to fill out forms.
There has also been a similar fight involving the voter roll manipulation prior to this, especially during the recent elections in Maharashtra. Other rival political parties, such as the Trinamool Congress, have termed the SIR a backdoor NRC and feared that this would damage the credibility of the electoral body in the eyes of the people. Other leaders have even gone ahead to threaten lawsuits unless the revision is stopped. In the meantime, the ECI claims that the undertaking is constitutionally supported as per Article 324 and the Representation of the People Act, 1950, entitling the organization to update its electoral rolls as and when considered necessary.
With Bihar gearing up for this very substantial revision, the stakes are at large. A rigorous and open electoral process would potentially solidify the electoral system, whereas the appearance of covertness or disadvantage will foster further distrust, and the elections of 2025 will be surrounded by controversy. As the electorate (rural workers, urban professionals, and minorities) in the state closely observes it, the ECI's performance at the right balance of accuracy and accessibility will not only determine the poll process in Bihar but also the trust of people in the democratic system of India.
References: This has been taken based on the current news articles and official announcements of the Election Commission of India.
