Many opposition leaders argue that if the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision in Bihar aims to weed out ineligible voters from electoral rolls to ensure that only eligible citizens vote in the upcoming Assembly elections, then the 40 MP selected from Bihar in 2024 General Elections should be removed from the Lok Sabha immediately.
“I agree that only eligible Indian citizens should vote. But if EC figures are correct, then lakhs of ineligible voters cast their votes in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, meaning the results from Bihar—and perhaps the entire country—were flawed, and the electoral rolls had serious discrepancies. Therefore, all 40 Bihar MPs should immediately resign, and fresh elections should be ordered there,” says Samajwadi Party MP Dharmendra Yadav.
The Opposition may have a point and so does the Election Commission of India, which says that the thorough revision of around eight crore Bihar voters is to create “accurate and error-free electoral rolls”, which is the basic requirement for conducting proper and free and fair elections.
Basically, the EC’s exercise involves two aspects—inclusion of eligible voters registered to vote and removal of ineligible voters by weeding out those whose names are incorrectly included in the rolls due to reasons like migration, death or being foreign illegal immigrants.
Since the last revision was done in Bihar, there have been several changes—urbanisation with people moving from villages to cities and other states, non-reporting of deaths, and perhaps some dubious political motives, which should concern every Indian citizen.
There is no doubt such an exercise should be undertaken periodically. The real question is its timing—why now? Other concerns follow: Can this mammoth exercise in a vast, diverse state like Bihar be done honestly in just two months? Can eight crore voters be covered since the launch on June 24? And can they suddenly be asked to produce identity documents? Remember, many of these electors come from extremely poor and marginalised sections of society.
Several opposition parties and others challenged SIR in the Supreme Court, calling it a “malicious and mischievous” exercise that could disenfranchise lakhs, describing it as “rigging attempt orchestrated by the ECI under instructions from the ruling BJP.”
Math behind the storm
As of July 28, 2025, when this story is being filed, the opposition’s argument on flagged voters gains context. EC figures released on July 25, after a month-long door-to-door drive, flagged 64 lakh voters. If these 64 lakh voters are divided by 40—the number of Bihar MPs—the average comes to 1.6 lakh per constituency. For perspective, the narrowest victory margin in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections was just 48 votes, secured by Ravindra Dattaram Waikar of Shiv Sena from Mumbai North West, while the highest margin was over 10 lakh votes, won by Rakibul Hussain in Dhubri, Assam.
The point is that in the past seven decades India has been voting, a significant number of Lok Sabha seats have been won by small victory margins (five percent or less). In fact, data analysis shows that in 2009, 2014, and 2019, around 23% of seats witnessed victory margins of five percent or less.
The average margin of victory in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls varied across states with some seats witnessing fierce competition decided by a handful of votes and others experiencing landslide victories with vast margins. The point—just for argument’s sake— is that if all of these 64 lakh voters are removed from the voter list today, then opposition leaders’ argument about the 2024 Lok Sabha results being compromised would make sense, and not just in Bihar but across India. In Assembly elections, the margins are even lower, any addition or deletion of names can decisively alter outcomes—and that is what worries the opposition.
According to the EC, 99.8% Bihar electors have been covered. The breakdown of flagged voters includes approximately 22 lakh deceased electors, around 7 lakh registered in more than one location and 35 lakh “either permanently migrated or could not be traced”
Forms of 7.24 crore electors have been received and digitised and their names will be included in the Draft Electoral Roll. The digitisation of forms, along with BLO reports, of the remaining electors will also be completed by August 1, 2025. The lists of those who have not filled the forms or are deceased or have permanently migrated was shared on July 20 with 12 political parties in Bihar political arena. They are Bahujan Samaj Party, Bharatiya Janata Party, Communist Party of India (Marxist), Indian National Congress, Rashtriya Janata Dal, Janata Dal (United), Rashtriya Lok Samta Party, Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) (Liberation), Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party, Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), National People’s Party, Aam Aadmi Party
Errors can be corrected in the draft electoral roll, which will be published on August 1.
From August 1 to September 1, any elector or political party may submit prescribed forms to the ERO to add eligible electors left out or to object to the removal of any ineligible electors.
Showdown over SIR
While the opposition is demanding a rollback, the ruling BJP claims “infiltrators and Rohingya Muslims from Bangladesh have been learning Bengali and changing their names to obtain Aadhaar and voter cards in India,” and becoming voters in Indian elections.
Fierce differences saw the first week of Monsoon Session being stalled, Opposition parties holding demonstrations, and the Centre retaliating. Union Minister Giriraj Singh, who comes from Bihar, said those questioning SIR lack basic constitutional knowledge. He said that the EC is only carrying out its constitutional mandate, wondering why should it make anyone uncomfortable.
While it is acknowledged that the EC is carrying out this exercise in Bihar to weed out ineligible people from the electoral rolls, which is good. The question, however, is why now and not earlier. The Congress has also been questioning EC’s role in Maharashtra, Haryana and Delhi Assembly elections while the ruling TMC in West Bengal is apprehensive about implications of any such revision in the state ahead of Assembly elections scheduled next year. The EC is now planning a countrywide SIR.
Before this sudden scrutiny changed the narrative, the opposition’s poll plank revolved around key issues—job crisis, migration of youth for livelihoods and education, Bihar’s strained healthcare system, law and order, crimes against women and the marginalised, caste and identity politics, and even Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s health.
The opposition parties in Bihar —RJD, Congress, the Left parties—were strategizing to pin the JD (U)-BJP’s Nitish Kumar Bihar government on issues that were said to be making substantial impact on the ground. Apparently, the BJP supporters were also not too happy with the saffron party on many issues. Those aware of the political developments in Bihar say before the announcement of the SIR, the opposition camp comprising RJD, Congress and Left parties were riding high on positive ground reports and were close to finalizing a strategy to target Nitish on these issues. All of this suddenly changed after the announcement of SIR with focus shifting to fighting the revision.
Why begin with Bihar? One possible reason was the outcome of the neighbouring Jharkhand’s 2024 Assembly elections. During their rallies in Jharkhand, top BJP leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, repeatedly spoke about Bangladeshi and Rohingya infiltration, claiming that it posed a major threat to the state by “rapidly changing” the identity and demography of the Santhal Pargana and Kolhan regions. They also accused the ruling JMM-led coalition government of “encouraging such infiltration for political interests.” However, the elections once again went in favour of Hemant Soren.
The ID hurdle
There are many good reasons behind the revision, but the way it is being done has exposed many a chink. The burden of proving citizenship with documentary proof falls on the people, and officials are tasked with verifying these documents.
Critics argue that a large number of these electors are “among the most marginalised citizens in the state who the state machinery failed to reach.”
The EC informed the Supreme Court that Aadhar, Voter ID, and Ration Cards were not acceptable documents as proof of voter’ eligibility under the SIR, which was contested by the Opposition and the Association for Democratic Reforms saying that “ECI gave no valid reason” for this. After all, an Aadhar card is one of the documents accepted for obtaining permanent residence certificate, OBC/SC/ST certificate and also the passport, they had argued.
Based on media reports from ground in towns and villages of Bihar, ADR affidavit stated, “They disclose a shocking account of the reality of the SIR process, which is absolutely arbitrary, illegal and in violation of ECI’s own order and guidelines.”
The fact is not everyone is educated or in a position to furnish documents or proofs required for voter registration. The documents required included Birth Certificate issued by a municipal corporation, panchayat, or any authorised government body showing date and place of birth; Passport; Matriculation or Higher Education Certificate (A school-leaving certificate or university degree that includes the applicant’s date of birth); Government Identity or Pension Document; Domicile Certificate (A permanent residence certificate issued by the district magistrate or similar competent authority); Forest Rights Certificate (Provided under the Forest Rights Act to eligible individuals, mainly from tribal communities), Caste Certificate (Valid for SC, ST, OBC issued by a competent government authority); NRC Document (documents related to the National Register of Citizens); Family Register (household register or similar record maintained by local bodies, listing family members and key details); or Land or Housing Allotment Paper and Pre-1987 Government/PSU ID (Any identity document issued by a government body or PSU before 1987).
Technicalities apart, the question is how many people in remote villages and marginalised sections possess these documents.
Apparently, those belonging to so-called upper castes are also not too happy. According to a Bihar “upper-caste” journalist based in Delhi, “many officials involved in the exercise come from SC/ST OBC communities. When they see how members of their communities are struggling, they make life difficult for upper caste voters, this has happened in my own family. The impression is that the majority of upper castes are BJP voters”.
Boycott or bluff?
Whether the BJP scored a hit with SIR remains to be seen. As Bihar heats up politically, all eyes are on the opposition and their next move.
Amid the ongoing fracas over the controversial revision, RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav dropped a dramatic hint that his party may boycott the 2025 polls scheduled later this year, sparking speculations whether this was a real possibility or just a threat amid the growing concerns over the party’s plans going awry.
Tejashwi Yadav said many things at that press conference but what stood out was his allegation that SIR was commissioned by BJP to “undermine the democratic process and manipulate voter data”. “If they want to win the elections through fraudulent means, then what’s the point of conducting them?” he told reporters in Patna, questioning the authenticity of emerging data about illegal immigrants infiltrating the electoral rolls through fraud.
Yadav said he wouldn’t rule out RJD skipping an electoral process it didn’t believe in.
“Ho sakta ha. We will consult our (INDIA bloc) partners and the people before taking a final call,” he said at a joint press conference with INDIA bloc partners. The Congress backed Tejashwi Yadav, saying it was aware of allegedly large-scale irregularities even as the ruling JD(U) called the boycott threat a reflection of opposition’s apprehension about their grim prospects in the elections.
A big ask
It can be done. But will it be 100% fool proof with zero errors, “no eligible elector left out, no ineligible person included,” as the EC is asserting, remains to be seen.
It is a huge process. After the first phase, the process to complete requires corrections and other steps. Will officials visit the homes of 35 lakh “either permanently migrated or could not be traced” people?. They may include those who may have gone out of state for work or any other reason. Can they be denied their right to vote for not being present when the revision was going on in the state?
To begin with, the process of reaching out to approximately 7.9 crore voters, collecting forms and verifying documents, was a complex and time-consuming job.
The EC says since the launch of the SIR process on June 24, Booth Level Officers (BLOs) and Booth Level Agents (BLAs) have provided crucial updates. The process involved extensive fieldwork by BLOs and volunteers to reach voters, especially in remote areas. But even if things were done properly, collecting forms, verifying documents and addressing issues like migrant voters, deaths, and multiple registrations must have been logistically challenging. Despite best efforts, there can still be errors in inclusion or exclusion of voters.
The ECI will take steps to address these challenges but the sheer scale of the task makes the entire situation a bit unrealistic.
So far 7.23 crore electors have been covered in the process— 99.8% of Bihar’s electorate.
According to the SIR guidelines, the next phase will begin on August 1 and continue until September 1, 2025.
During this period, electors or political parties may file claims and objections, including inclusion of eligible electors left out of the draft roll and removal of ineligible entries.
On July 25, the EC declared SIR a resounding success carried with “full faith” and “active participation” of voters. Of 7.89 crore electors as on June 24, over 7.24 crore electors have submitted their enumeration forms indicating overwhelming participation.
People were not included because “BLOs did not find these electors or did not get back enumeration forms as they became electors in other States/UTs, or were not found in existence, or did not submit the form till July 25, or were not willing to register as an elector for some reason or other.”
“Exact status of these electors will be known after scrutiny of these forms by ERO/AERO by August 1. However, genuine electors can still be added back in electoral rolls during the Claims and Objection period from August 1 to September 1, 2025,” The EC said
“The credit for the successful completion of the first phase of SIR also goes to the CEO of Bihar, DEOs of all 38 districts, 243 EROs, 2,976 AEROs, BLOs deployed at 77,895 polling booths, lakhs of volunteers and full involvement of the field representatives of all the 12 major political parties, including their district presidents and as many as 1.60 lakh BLAs appointed by them. Total number of BLAs increased 16% plus during SIR period,” it said
Privately, officials admit to many challenges—individuals and communities facing difficulties in participation due to document requirements and literacy levels; people struggling to meet the criteria, especially those temporarily residing outside the state or lacking proper documentation; many individuals, particularly those from marginalised communities, not possessing or having access to required documents, for example birth certificates or caste certificates; and many, especially in rural areas, struggling to understand forms and procedures.
From August 1 to September 1, the fate of 64 lakh flagged voters will be decided. It means reaching out to a staggering two lakh plus people every day.
Dealing with petitions challenging the SIR, the Supreme Court had refused to issue an interim stay on the revision exercise but is continuing to hear the matter. The petitioners had questioned the hurried nature and the process by which ECI ordered the revision just before assembly elections. They also questioned the curtailed and differentiated list of documents that the ECI mandated as proof of the right to vote and citizenship.
The onus of proving citizenship with documentary proof in Bihar, and then in the rest of the country, lies on the people.