Patna— The Election Commission of India (ECI) is facing intense backlash from Opposition parties over its Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, ahead of the 2025 Assembly elections. Critics allege that the new voter registration process, which mandates difficult-to-obtain documents such as birth certificates, is a covert attempt to implement the National Register of Citizens (NRC), reported the Wire.
Unlike other states where documents like Aadhaar card, PAN card, driving license, and school certificates are accepted, Bihar’s SIR demands stricter proof of citizenship. This includes birth documents of the applicant and sometimes even of parents, depending on the applicant’s year of birth. Opposition parties argue that these requirements disproportionately affect Dalits, Muslims, backward communities, and the poor, many of whom lack such documentation.
Though the ECI recently relaxed the rules to some extent—stating that if one parent is listed in the 2003 voter roll, extensive documents may not be needed—concerns remain that this too is difficult for marginalized populations to fulfill. The exclusion of commonly held documents like Aadhaar and ration card as proof of citizenship has added to the controversy.
Opposition leaders, including RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav, have accused the ECI of acting under political pressure from the BJP-led central government to manipulate voter lists. They claim the move is aimed at disenfranchising sections of the population unlikely to vote for the ruling JDU-BJP alliance. Tejashwi termed it a conspiracy to erase the votes of the poor and marginalized.
Parties including the Congress, TMC, CPI(M), CPI(ML), and AIMIM have joined the protest, calling the exercise discriminatory and unconstitutional. AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi wrote to the ECI, calling the revision legally questionable and warning it could silence genuine voters. Congress leaders also cited past instances of voter list tampering, accusing the ECI of acting like a political tool of the ruling alliance.
The sudden announcement of the SIR—just months before the state election—has also drawn criticism. Opposition leaders questioned the timing, calling it a logistical nightmare to verify over three crore voters out of Bihar’s estimated eight crore population before the final roll is published by September 30.
TMC leader Mamata Banerjee described the exercise as a “scam,” warning that this could set a dangerous precedent for other states going to polls in 2026. Critics also pointed out that traditionally, voter registration required only a self-declaration and Aadhaar card. The new burden of documentation is being seen as a structural strategy to tilt the electoral field in favor of the NDA.
As political pressure mounts, legal challenges against the ECI’s new rules may follow unless a more inclusive and transparent process is adopted.
