Bihar Electoral Roll Revision: Political Motives at Play?

Bihar Electoral Roll Revision: A Brewing Storm Ahead of Elections

Just months before the Bihar Legislative Assembly elections, slated for October or November 2025, a major controversy has erupted over the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) decision to undertake a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the Bihar electoral roll. Announced on June 24, 2025, this exercise aims to update the state’s 7.9 crore-strong voter list, but its timing and scope have sparked intense debate. 

While the ECI is legally empowered under the Representation of the People Act, 1950, to revise electoral rolls to ensure accuracy, questions arise about the necessity of such an extensive revision so close to the polls. Critics, including opposition parties, are asking whether larger political considerations are at play or if this is genuinely an effort to enhance the accuracy of the Bihar electoral roll, raising stakes in an already polarised electoral environment.

The ECI is conducting the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the Bihar electoral roll under the authority of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, specifically Section 21, which deals with the preparation and revision of electoral rolls for constituencies. Additionally, Section 21(3) of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, and Rule 23 of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, empower the ECI to undertake special summary revisions, including intensive verification, to update voter lists, while Rule 24 facilitates this process by mandating draft publication.

The ECI’s notification on June 24, 2025, invoked Article 326 of the Constitution of India and other key provisions of the RP Act to justify the SIR, emphasising its role in ensuring only eligible citizens are registered. 

The ECI defends the SIR as a necessary step to eliminate inaccuracies in the Bihar electoral roll, citing concerns about duplicate entries, deceased voters, and ineligible registrations, particularly among voters added since 2003. The last intensive revision of the electoral roll was conducted in Bihar in 2003. The ECI argues that various reasons such as rapid urbanisation, frequent migration, young citizens becoming eligible to vote, non-reporting of deaths and inclusion of the names of foreign illegal immigrants have necessitated the conduct of an intensive revision so as to ensure integrity and preparation of error-free electoral rolls.

Under this revision exercise the Booth Level Officers (BLOs) would conduct house-to- house surveys for verification of eligible voters. The commission argues that this exercise, targeting 7.9 crore voters with 2.93 crore required to submit additional documents, will enhance electoral transparency and prevent fraud in the upcoming polls. The ECI has also stated that the SIR is part of a planned pan-India revision, with Bihar prioritised due to its election timeline.

Outcry Against the SIR Mounts

The opposition has vehemently criticised the ECI’s SIR of the Bihar electoral roll, labeling it a potential assault on democratic rights. Leading the charge are the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Indian National Congress, Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) Liberation (CPI(ML)), and Trinamool Congress (TMC), alongside civil society groups like the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL). Prominent figures such as RJD MP Manoj Jha, TMC MP Mahua Moitra, and activist Yogendra Yadav have filed petitions in the Supreme Court, with a hearing scheduled for July 10, 2025, to challenge the SIR. 

The objections to the SIR of the Bihar electoral roll stem from multiple concerns. They argue that the stringent requirement for 2.93 crore voters, particularly those registered post-2003, to provide specific citizenship documents—excluding widely held IDs like Aadhaar or ration cards—risks disenfranchising marginalised groups such as Muslims, Dalits, and migrant workers, who often lack such paperwork due to socio-economic barriers. Critics state that a large number of voters could be excluded, violating constitutional voting rights under Articles 325 and 326. 

The Bihar Electoral Roll Controversy

Bihar’s electoral roll has long faced scrutiny for inaccuracies, including ghost voters, duplicate entries, and outdated records, which have occasionally undermined electoral integrity. However, the current SIR exercise is criticised for its rushed approach. Experts and opposition leaders argue that such an extensive exercise cannot be effectively conducted in haste, particularly with the 2025 assembly elections looming. They question the necessity of this intensive revision of the Bihar electoral roll so close to the polls, noting that annual summary revisions, conducted regularly by the ECI, should suffice unless clear evidence of widespread fraud is presented. The lack of such evidence has fueled doubts about the SIR’s urgency and purpose.

For the SIR to be justified, critics assert that the ECI must provide concrete evidence demonstrating why such an extraordinary overhaul of the Bihar electoral roll is essential. Petitioners in the Supreme Court, including RJD MP Manoj Jha and the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), have labeled the process “arbitrary” and compared it to a “votebandi” or a National Register of Citizens (NRC)-like exercise, questioning its intent and potential to disenfranchise voters. 

Moreover, no publicly available data from the ECI details the scale of inaccuracies—such as the number of ineligible voters—that would warrant a state-wide SIR. This absence of transparency has deepened skepticism, with critics arguing that the ECI’s lack of justification undermines the credibility of the Bihar electoral roll revision.

The compressed timeline for the SIR, spanning June 25 to July 25, 2025, for initial verification of 7.9 crore voters, has been flagged as a major concern. Critics argue that the complexity of verifying millions of voters, particularly with 2.93 crore required to submit citizenship documents, makes the schedule impractical. Such a rushed process risks errors and incomplete verification, potentially excluding legitimate voters from the Bihar electoral roll. 

Political Motivations and Voter Base Concerns

The timing of the SIR, just months before the 2025 Bihar elections, has intensified suspicions of political motivations, with opposition parties alleging that the revision could disproportionately impact their voter bases. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has previously claimed that undocumented migrants, particularly from Bangladesh, are registered as voters in Bihar, a narrative the SIR appears to address by requiring proof of citizenship for post-2003 voters and parental documentation for those born after 1987.

Opposition leaders argue that these stringent requirements could exclude marginalised groups—Muslims, Dalits, and migrant workers—who often lack such documents and are seen as key supporters of the RJD and Congress. If significant numbers of these voters are removed from the Bihar electoral roll, it could tilt the electoral balance toward the BJP-led NDA, which draws support from upper-caste, non-Yadav OBC, and urban voters.

BJP’s Potential Advantage in Implementation

A significant fear among opposition parties is that the BJP’s organisational strength and resources could enable it to better assist its supporters in navigating the SIR’s complex documentation requirements, potentially preserving its voter base more effectively than its rivals. With a robust network of party workers and access to resources, the BJP may be better positioned to guide its voters—often from upper-caste and urban demographics—through the verification process, ensuring their inclusion in the Bihar electoral roll.

In contrast, opposition parties like the RJD and Congress, which rely heavily on rural and marginalised voters, face challenges in mobilising support for voters who may lack awareness or access to required documents. This disparity could amplify the SIR’s impact on opposition-leaning voters, raising concerns about an uneven electoral playing field.

ECI’s Transparency Under Scrutiny

Recent controversies have cast a shadow over the ECI’s impartiality, making the SIR of the Bihar electoral roll a process that demands close scrutiny. The ECI has faced criticism for alleged lapses in transparency during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, including discrepancies in voter turnout data and delays in publishing final figures, which opposition parties claimed raised doubts about electoral fairness.

In the 2024 Maharashtra assembly elections, the Congress alleged voter manipulation through selective additions to voter lists, further eroding trust. These incidents, coupled with accusations of bias toward the ruling BJP-led central government, have placed the ECI under a magnifying lens. The lack of clear justification for the SIR, combined with its potential to alter voter demographics, amplifies concerns that the ECI’s actions may be influenced by political pressures, necessitating greater transparency in the Bihar electoral roll revision.

Supreme Court Hearing in Focus

The Supreme Court’s decision to hear petitions challenging the SIR of the Bihar electoral roll on July 10, 2025, has drawn massive attention, with opposition leaders and civil society groups pinning hopes on judicial intervention. On July 7, 2025, a bench of Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and Joymalya Bagchi agreed to an urgent hearing but declined to issue an interim stay, allowing the SIR to continue pending the court’s review.

All eyes are now on the Supreme Court, as its ruling could determine the fate of the Bihar electoral roll and set a precedent for voter verification processes nationwide.