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The Hindu
25 minutes ago
- The Hindu
India's democracy is failing the migrant citizen
In a democracy of 1.4 billion, every vote matters. But for millions of migrants from Bihar, democracy is quietly leaving them behind. A silent crisis is unfolding, where the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of State electoral rolls, and at short notice, has led to the mass deletion of nearly 3.5 million migrants (4.4% of the total voters). These are the migrants who have been labelled as 'permanently migrated' for being absent during house-to-house verification. These voters now face permanent disenfranchisement not just in their places of work but also at home. In a State where migration is not just an economic choice but also a survival strategy, this sweeping administrative action is threatening to erase millions from India's democratic record. For decades, out-migration has sustained Bihar's economy and its households. Locked homes, especially among poor and most vulnerable migrants, are a common sight across villages. Increasingly, migrants either migrate with their families or shift their families to marital homes for their care and safety. Yet, this reality of circular and split-family migration is now being read by the state as an abandonment of electoral rights. The 'sedentary citizen' is the issue The deeper issue lies in India's electoral infrastructure, which is still designed around a sedentary citizen. Voter registration is tethered to proof of residence and in-person verification. But for migrant workers — many live in rented rooms, at construction sites, on foot paths or in slums — such documentation is either unavailable or denied. This exclusion deepens in the context of regionalism and sub-nationalism, where migrants are often seen as job-stealers or political threats. Growing demands for job quotas in private sectors and strict domicile-based norms for government jobs reflect the larger political sentiments, which curtails the political inclusion of migrants. In host States, migrants are treated as outsiders and fears of altered electoral outcomes fuel resistance to their enfranchisement. It discourages voter registration at destinations. As a result, migrants remain stuck: unable to register in destination States, and now removed from their origin rolls. The findings of a study A Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai study in November 2015, funded by the Election Commission of India, titled 'Inclusive Elections in India: A Study on Domestic Migration and Issues in Electoral Participation', confirmed the marginalisation of migrants in a host State's electoral processes. The study identifies a triple burden — administrative barriers, digital illiteracy, and social exclusion — preventing a migrant from effectively participating in electoral processes. Crucially, the study found that lower voter turnout was directly correlated with the higher migration rates in the source States. And yet, rather than bridging this turnout gap, Bihar's SIR initiative is widening the democratic deficit. This is not just a bureaucratic failure. It is a democratic rupture. The average turnout rate in Bihar's last four Assembly elections was only 53.2%, the lowest among major Indian States. In contrast, Gujarat and Karnataka — States with fewer outbound migrants — reported an average of a turnout of 66.4% and 70.7%, respectively, in the last four elections. Our own estimates, based on mobile visitor location register data, suggest an annual outflow of approximately seven million circular migrants from Bihar. Out of this number, 4.8 million migrate seasonally between June and September. However, half of them (2.7 million) return home during the festivals of Durga Puja, Chhath and Deepavali between October and November. This year, where there will be an Assembly election, many of the return migrants will be unable to vote as their names have been struck off. Without coordination with destination States to verify or re-enrol these voters, the deletion process becomes a de facto disenfranchisement of the poor migrants. The limited uptake of the 'One Nation One Ration Card' Scheme in the last six years, since its launch in 2019 (nation-wide portability of ration card holders under National Food Security Act, 2013), underscores the constraints of migrants in the host States. Most migrants from Bihar avail rations in their home State, with only 3.3 lakh households availing portability in destination States as of May 2025. Dual residency, fear of losing entitlements and bureaucratic hurdles deter transfers. The same logic applies to voter IDs — they keep origin-based documents not because they are indifferent to civic duties, but because they lack security and acceptance in host States. This dual belonging — economic participation in host States, political identity in home States — is now being demonised by the state. Migrants are being told bluntly that 'if you're not home when we knock, your right to vote vanishes'. Along the 1,751 kilometre-long open India-Nepal border, the issue becomes even more complex. The region has long celebrated the 'roti-beti ka rishta', a tradition of cross-border economic and marital ties. Many Nepali and Indian women migrate post-marriage, yet new documentation norms and restrictive citizenship interpretations now threaten their legal and electoral status. Here, disenfranchisement is not just regional or class-based but also gendered and xenophobic. Time for a portable identity system The way forward is clear. India must move toward portable, flexible, and mobile voter identity systems. The Election Commission of India must halt blanket deletions of migrants and adopt a cross-verification model with destination State voter rolls. Civil society and local governance bodies such as panchayats should be empowered to conduct migrant outreach and re-registration drives. It is high time that the Kerala model of migration surveys should be replicated among high internal migration origin States such as Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. If these steps are not taken, India risks scripting the largest silent voter purge in post-Independence India — a purge not of enemies, but of the hard-working poor who leave home only in search of bread, dignity and work. S. Irudaya Rajan is Chair, International Institute of Migration and Development, Kerala. Arif Nizam is an independent migration researcher based in Bihar
The Hindu
25 minutes ago
- The Hindu
The fact is the ECI is a commission in crisis
India's first Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sukumar Sen (March 21, 1950 to December 19, 1958) was a man of few words. But he was a man of great action. He published no memoirs but is credited with having conducted one of the world's largest and most inclusive elections. His life is a lesson for those who are now in office: History remembers your work. Not your words or your excuses. Reeling from a damning Supreme Court of India's interim order on August 14, 2025 (to publish the names and reasons for excluding 65 lakh electors from the Bihar draft roll), and facing a litany of questions following a game-changing exposé by the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, the Election Commission of India (ECI) is now facing what is arguably the thorniest credibility crisis in its history. And, going by the reactions to the ECI's recent press conference on Sunday, August 17, it is likely to get worse. It is unclear what the ECI wanted to achieve by holding this press conference. Oscillating between vague self-congratulatory rhetoric to placing the onus on political parties regarding the integrity of voter lists, and then calling out (without naming) the Leader of the Opposition, with incorrect references to the law, the ECI seemed unsure of the message that it sought to be communicated. Unconvincing answers If it was to clarify the doubts with regard to the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar exercise, it did not do so. If it was to reassure voters of the sanctity of voter rolls, it did not do so. If it was to answer the questions with regard to voter anomalies raised by the Opposition parties and independent journalists, it did not do so. What the ECI did succeed in doing was vindicating the Opposition claim of the ECI being neither bipartisan nor administratively savvy. The Internet was flooded with clips of the CEC, Gyanesh Kumar, giving unconvincing answers to important questions. One example was the CEC's reason for the ECI's refusal to share video footage. This footage, which is essential to identify dual voting, cannot be given apparently on the grounds that it would violate the privacy of women, which is outrageously absurd. Here is another example. The CEC asked why politicians raise these issues after the election results and not when the draft voter lists are shared with the Booth Level Agents before the election. The answer is that electoral fraud becomes apparent only after voting. Bogus voter patterns can only be identified after the results are declared. That the Chief Election Commissioner of India does not know this is cause for concern. And, what the CEC did not tell the public is how the ECI has steadfastly refused to share the same voter list data (which it provides before an election) after the results are declared. Denial of data Let us give other examples based on experience. The first writer of this article, on behalf of his party, the Indian National Congress, wrote to the ECI on December 27, 2024, asking for the electoral rolls related to Maharashtra and Haryana. The ECI did not even bother acknowledging the writer's requests despite another communication on January 17, 2025. Given this stone walling, the writer had no other option but to approach the Delhi High Court. There could be no justification to deny data which had already been provided to political parties and the refusal of which could not be justified by invoking any legal provision. As a result, on February 25, 2025, notice was issued by the Delhi High Court. On the same day, the ECI submitted that it had directed the respective Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) to decide the representation in accordance with the law and through a speaking order. Accepting this, the High Court imposed a time limit of three months to decide the same. The writers of this article appeared in person before the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Maharashtra (in compliance with this order), while their colleagues appeared before the CEO, Haryana. On May 22, 2025, the CEO, Maharashtra, passed his order, while the CEO, Haryana passed his order on May 24, 2025. Both were the same to a substantial extent. They did not provide any voter lists but noted that the data had already been provided before the election (the same argument made ad nauseum by the CEC in his defence); some of the information was available on the website, and, third, had a line that said to 'seek additional copies of the same documents/information subject to compliance with the requirements of the rules, from the respective competent authorities under the rules'. The response speaks for itself. Five months after the request was first made, the ECI had invoked every excuse that it could in order not to provide machine-readable digital voter lists. This was a plain and simple case of stonewalling any meaningful scrutiny by hiding behind bureaucratic jargon. On the Bihar SIR, the ECI has tried a similar strategy but with disastrous results. The ECI was forced to reply to why it was refusing to provide any data on the 65 lakh voters names it had deleted. And it was forced to explain its decision of excluding a range of widely used identification documents, including Aadhaar. As highlighted, the Supreme Court, on August 14, rejected the arguments presented by the ECI to deny this data and directed that the names of all those who had been deleted had to be published, along with the reasons. Further, all of this was to be in searchable mode alongwith the Electors Photo Identification Card (EPIC). The Court also directed that the ECI accept the Aadhaar as a valid identification document in the cases of the persons aggrieved. Losing voter trust In the press meet, the CEC spent much of the time making remarks about the transparent nature of the ECI's workings and its commitment to voters. But he did not say anything about why the ECI had to be directed to carry out its basic duty. The ECI has no one else to blame but itself. This is a crisis that is entirely of its own making. The ECI has already lost the faith of all the major political parties except for the party that is in power. This is an indictment in itself. The ECI is now losing the trust of the voters that it claims to serve. Perhaps, this disconnect was best illustrated by the analogy used by the CEC in his press meet when he declared that the ECI stands with voters like a mountain. The CEC must remember this. In a democracy, the people — and not the CEC — are the mountain. Randeep Singh Surjewala is a Member of Parliament (Congress party) and an advocate. Muhammad A. Khan is an Advocate of the Supreme Court of India and the Secretary of the All India Congress Committee (AICC) Law Department
News18
2 hours ago
- News18
Important Bills Passed In Parliament Amid Opposition Ruckus Over Bihar SIR
Last Updated: Parliament witnessed considerable uproar with the opposition refusing to cooperate and, as a result, their leaders missed the opportunity to engage in debates on important Bills The special intensive revision in poll-bound Bihar dominated the opposition's agenda in Parliament, so much so that it missed out on taking part in discussion on important Bills. Several such Bills were passed in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, but the opposition was either up in arms against the voter list revision exercise or busy forwarding its 'vote chori' campaign, government sources indicated. The sources said Parliament witnessed considerable uproar during the monsoon session, with the opposition refusing to cooperate. As a result, their leaders missed the opportunity to engage in debates on several important Bills that were passed, they said. Usually divided, the opposition was unified this time on the SIR exercise in Bihar. The united opposition also led a successful protest from Parliament to the EC, even if they were stopped midway. Parties like the DMK, Congress, and TMC marshaled resources on this vital issue, while the smaller parties rallied around them. This time, opposition parties created a lot of ruckus and refused to cooperate. Despite multiple attempts by the ruling side to convince them that the SIR cannot be discussed in Parliament, as the Centre does not have the authority to speak on behalf of the Election Commission of India (ECI), there were massive protests throughout the monsoon session. It left little scope for any business to take place in a cordial manner. On multiple occasions, both inside and outside, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju tried to pacify the opposition that the Election Commission (EC) is an autonomous body and that the central government does not have the mandate to discuss its functioning. The only aspect the government can discuss regarding the EC is electoral reforms. In the Lok Sabha, a few bills – such as the Representation of Scheduled Tribes (Goa), Merchant Shipping, National Sports Governance, National Anti-Doping (Amendment), Indian Ports, and Mines & Minerals Amendment – were passed after brief discussions in between noisy disruptions. The rest were cleared without debate. In the Rajya Sabha, the Lading Bill, 2025, was smoothly passed on the first day without any disruption. Most other bills – Carriage of Goods by Sea, Coastal Shipping, Manipur GST (Amendment), Manipur Appropriation (No.2), Merchant Shipping, Representation of Scheduled Tribes (Goa), National Sports Governance, National Anti-Doping (Amendment), Income Tax, Taxation Laws (Amendment), Indian Ports, Mines & Minerals Amendment, and IIMs Amendment – were passed either amid noisy protests or after opposition parties staged walkouts. The only discussion that could take place was on 'Operation Sindoor', which was agreed on by both sides at the beginning of the session. It, however, turned unpleasant when the opposition walked out of the Rajya Sabha while Union Home Minister Amit Shah was replying to the discussion. At the end of the session, the government tried to bring some semblance of normalcy into the House by attempting to discuss India's space mission. But this discussion, too, was cut short in the last couple of days because the opposition was in no mood to allow any debate to take place. Despite committing to a discussion with the government on crucial bills like the Income Tax and Sports Bills, there was barely any participation from the opposition. These legislation, which are landmark in nature – the Sports Bill being crucial to India's participation in the Olympics bid of 2036 – did not bring the opposition together to pass them. BILLS PASSED BY THE LOK SABHA The Readjustment of Representation of Scheduled Tribes in Assembly Constituencies of Goa Bill, 2025 The Merchant Shipping Bill, 2025 The Manipur Goods and Services Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2025 The Manipur Appropriation (No.2) Bill, 2025 The National Sports Governance Bill, 2025 The National Anti-Doping (Amendment) Bill, 2025 The Income-tax Bill, 2025 The Taxation Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2025 The Indian Ports Bill, 2025 The Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2025 The Indian Institutes of Management (Amendment) Bill, 2025 The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025 BILLS PASSED/RETURNED IN THE RAJYA SABHA The Bills of Lading Bill, 2025 The Carriage of Goods by Sea Bill, 2025 The Coastal Shipping Bill, 2025 The Manipur Goods and Services Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2025 The Manipur Appropriation (No.2) Bill, 2025 The Merchant Shipping Bill, 2025 The Readjustment of Representation of Scheduled Tribes in Goa Assembly Constituencies Bill, 2025 The National Sports Governance Bill, 2025 The National Anti-Doping (Amendment) Bill, 2025 The Income-tax Bill, 2025 The Taxation Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2025 The Indian Ports Bill, 2025 The Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2025 The Indian Institutes of Management (Amendment) Bill, 2025 Click here to add News18 as your preferred news source on Google. Get Latest Updates on Movies, Breaking News On India, World, Live Cricket Scores, And Stock Market Updates. Also Download the News18 App to stay updated! view comments Location : New Delhi, India, India First Published: August 20, 2025, 23:18 IST News politics Important Bills Passed In Parliament Amid Opposition Ruckus Over Bihar SIR Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Loading comments...
