Bihar Electoral Roll Controversy: A Deep Dive into the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) Debate

Patna, August 21, 2025 – The ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar has sparked a heated political and legal battle, raising concerns about voter suppression, electoral integrity, and the fairness of the upcoming state assembly elections scheduled for November 2025. The Election Commission of India’s (ECI) decision to overhaul the state’s voter list, affecting nearly 80 million electors, has drawn sharp criticism from opposition parties, civil society groups, and activists, while the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) defends the move as a necessary step to eliminate fraudulent entries.

Background: The Special Intensive Revision (SIR)

On June 24, 2025, the ECI announced a Special Intensive Revision of Bihar’s electoral rolls, a process aimed at ensuring that “no eligible citizen is left out while no ineligible person is included,” according to the ECI’s notification. This marked the first intensive revision since 2003, prompted by concerns over duplicate entries, deceased voters, and potential non-citizens on the rolls, particularly in border regions like Seemanchal, near Nepal and Bangladesh. The exercise, conducted between June 25 and July 26, 2025, involved door-to-door verification of approximately 78.9 million voters, with Booth Level Officers (BLOs) tasked with collecting enumeration forms and verifying identities using a restrictive list of 11 documents, excluding widely used IDs like Aadhaar, ration cards, and MGNREGA cards.

The ECI’s stated rationale includes addressing demographic shifts such as rapid urbanization, migration, and the inclusion of newly eligible voters. The commission reported that the draft electoral roll, published on August 1, 2025, contained 72.4 million names—6.5 million fewer than the previous roll. Of these deletions, 2.2 million were attributed to deceased voters, 700,000 to duplicate registrations, and 3.6 million to voters who had migrated or were untraceable. The final roll is set to be released on September 30, 2025, after a claims and objections period ending September 1.

The Controversy: Allegations of Voter Suppression

The SIR has ignited a firestorm of criticism, with opposition parties, led by the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Congress, and the broader INDIA bloc, alleging that the exercise is a deliberate attempt to disenfranchise vulnerable groups, including the poor, migrants, and minorities, particularly Muslims. Critics argue that the stringent documentation requirements and compressed timeline—less than a month for verification—are impractical in a state like Bihar, where literacy rates are low (male: 85%, female: 65%) and many lack access to formal documents like birth certificates or passports.

The exclusion of Aadhaar, which 87% of Bihar’s population holds, has been a focal point of contention. Opposition leaders, including RJD’s Shivanand Tiwari and Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, have called the process “votebandi” (voter suppression), drawing parallels to the controversial 2019 National Register of Citizens (NRC) exercise in Assam, which left nearly 2 million people at risk of statelessness. The Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), a key petitioner in the Supreme Court, argues that the SIR violates fundamental rights under Articles 14 (equality), 19 (freedom of expression), and 21 (right to life) of the Constitution, citing its potential to exclude millions of legitimate voters.

Reports from the ground have highlighted significant irregularities. In districts like Darbhanga and Kaimur, 10.6% and 12.6% of electors, respectively, were marked “not recommended by BLO” without clear reasons. Opposition parties have claimed that BLOs, often local schoolteachers, were inadequately trained and failed to visit many households, with some forms allegedly uploaded en masse without voter consent. A review by the Hindustan Times noted high voter deletions in Kishanganj, a Muslim-majority district, raising concerns about targeted disenfranchisement, though similar patterns were not observed in other Muslim-dominated areas.

Political Reactions: A Divided Landscape

The controversy has deepened Bihar’s political divide. The ruling NDA, comprising the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Janata Dal (United) (JD(U)), and Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), has staunchly defended the SIR. BJP spokesperson Radhika Khera, in a CNBC-TV18 panel discussion, accused the opposition of “defending illegality” and argued that the exercise is essential to remove “infiltrators” and duplicate entries, citing the transparency of the process under Section 21(3) of the Representation of the People Act, 1950 (RPA). JD(U) legislator Neeraj Kumar Singh echoed this, emphasizing the need to correct voter lists with multiple registrations.

In contrast, RJD’s Anwar Pasha called the revision “unjustified” and “politically motivated,” alleging that the ECI is acting at the behest of the BJP to manipulate the elections. Tejashwi Yadav, a prominent RJD leader, has linked the SIR to the BJP’s fear of losing the upcoming polls, recalling past allegations of voter fraud during the Lalu-Rabri era. The opposition has also criticized the timing, noting that the exercise began just months before the elections, leaving little time for voters to rectify exclusions.

Legal Challenges: The Supreme Court’s Role

The SIR’s legality is under scrutiny in the Supreme Court, where a batch of petitions led by ADR, Yogendra Yadav, Manoj Jha, Mahua Moitra, and the People’s Union for Civil Liberties is being heard by Justices Surya Kant, Sudhanshu Dhulia, and Joymalya Bagchi. The petitioners argue that the SIR lacks statutory backing, as the RPA and Conduct of Election Rules, 1961, recognize only summary and intensive revisions, not a “special intensive” category. They contend that the requirement for post-2003 voters to provide documentary proof of citizenship reverses the burden of proof, violating principles of due process and natural justice.

On July 10, 2025, the Supreme Court declined to stay the SIR but questioned its timing and the exclusion of Aadhaar, voter ID, and ration cards, noting that these are critical for identity verification in Bihar’s socio-economic context. The court emphasized that the right to vote is fundamental to democracy and raised concerns about the potential disenfranchisement of voters unable to appeal exclusions before the elections. On August 14, the court directed the ECI to publish the list of 65 lakh deleted voters, including reasons for exclusion, in a searchable format on district election officers’ websites and on notice boards at panchayat bhavans. The ECI was also instructed to publicize this information widely through newspapers, television, and radio to ensure transparency.

The Supreme Court’s August 12 remarks offered hope to the opposition, stating that the SIR could be set aside as late as September if illegality is proven. However, the ECI has defended its actions, asserting that it is not required to publish separate deletion lists or provide public reasons for exclusions, though it has complied with the court’s directive to enhance transparency.

Ground Realities: Confusion and Errors

Field reports paint a picture of widespread confusion. Many voters, particularly in rural areas, have reported that BLOs did not visit their homes, and some found their names missing from the draft rolls despite being registered for decades. A BBC report highlighted errors in the draft rolls, including wrong photos and names of deceased individuals. Social media posts, such as one by @TweetSumedha on August 9, 2025, noted that 2.92 lakh voters in the draft rolls had invalid house numbers like “0” or “00,” with the Chief Electoral Officer’s office acknowledging such errors as common.

Additionally, a post by @reporters_co on August 11 revealed that over 5,000 voters from Uttar Pradesh were listed in Bihar’s Valmikinagar constituency with different voter IDs but identical details, raising questions about the integrity of the process. The ECI’s decision to convert machine-readable PDF rolls into non-machine-readable formats has also drawn criticism for hindering public scrutiny, as noted by @Memeghnad on X.

ECI’s Defense and Next Steps

The ECI has maintained that the SIR is a constitutional mandate under Article 324 and Section 21 of the RPA, aimed at ensuring free and fair elections. Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar has emphasized that voters on the 2003 roll or their descendants require minimal documentation, and those excluded from the draft roll can submit claims during the scrutiny phase until September 1. The commission has deployed over 1.5 lakh Booth Level Agents and consulted political parties, though ADR disputes claims of consensus.

The ECI has also cited national security concerns, particularly the presence of “Rohingya and Bangladeshi” immigrants in border areas, as a justification for excluding Aadhaar and other IDs that may be fraudulently obtained. However, the Supreme Court has pushed back, suggesting that Aadhaar and voter IDs be reconsidered to prevent undue hardship.

Broader Implications

The Bihar SIR controversy has implications beyond the state, as the ECI plans to extend similar revisions nationwide, affecting India’s 96.88 crore voters. With the Supreme Court set to hear the case again on August 22, 2025, the outcome could set a precedent for electoral roll revisions across the country. Opposition leaders warn that systemic issues in Bihar, such as high deletion rates and inadequate public awareness, could disproportionately affect marginalized communities if replicated elsewhere.

As Bihar gears up for a high-stakes election, the SIR has intensified political tensions, with protests disrupting Parliament and opposition MPs chanting “Stop stealing votes” in New Delhi. The controversy underscores deeper questions about electoral trust, administrative capacity, and the balance between purifying voter rolls and protecting the right to vote.

Conclusion

The Bihar electoral roll controversy remains a flashpoint in India’s democratic landscape, with the ECI’s efforts to ensure accuracy clashing with concerns over voter disenfranchisement. As legal proceedings continue and the claims and objections period nears its end, the focus remains on ensuring transparency and inclusivity in a process that could shape the outcome of Bihar’s 2025 elections and beyond.

Sources: Reporters Collective, Supreme Court Observer, BBC, CNBC TV18, Mid-Day, India Today, The Indian Express, NDTV, The Hindu, Times of India, PIB, ABC News, Jagran Josh, posts on X.