"Dangerous": Congress Slams Poll Body's Intensive Revision Of Electoral Rolls In Bihar

NDTV

21 hours ago

Patna:
The Congress party has strongly opposed the Election Commission of India's decision to undertake a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar ahead of the upcoming 2025 Assembly elections, calling the move an "explicit admission" that the country's electoral rolls are flawed.
In a statement, the party said: "This notification is a clear, explicit admission by the Election Commission that all is not well with India's electoral rolls, precisely what the Congress party and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi have been flagging repeatedly, especially in Maharashtra."
The Congress termed the SIR a "devious and dubious idea disguised as a solution."
It alleged that the process, which involves government officials visiting every household to verify identity and residential documents before re-enrolling voters, poses a serious threat of disenfranchisement.
"Lakhs of Union and State government officials will now control and dictate who has correct documents and who doesn't. This carries a huge risk of wilful exclusion of voters using the power of the state machinery," the statement warned.
The party further criticised the complex documentation requirements, especially the birth certificates of voters and their parents, calling them "arbitrary, whimsical and onerous" on Bihar's estimated 8.1 crore eligible voters.
The Congress also questioned the EC's abrupt shift in strategy. The party noted that on March 8, 2025, the EC had floated a proposal for electoral roll clean-up using Aadhaar, which, while not perfect, was deemed more viable.
"Why was the Aadhaar-based approach dropped? What changed in just three months for the EC to abandon that and suddenly announce a full-scale SIR in Bihar?" the Congress asked.
With the Assembly elections just months away, the Congress expressed deep suspicion over the timing of the EC's move, especially in light of the Commission's refusal to address the party's concerns about voter roll discrepancies in Maharashtra.
"Given the EC's dogged resistance to our long-pending demands and its dubious actions in the past, there is enough reason to suspect the motives behind the SIR plan in Bihar," the statement added.
The party concluded by stating its firm opposition to the Special Intensive Revision in Bihar, calling it a ploy to discard the current electoral roll and create an entirely new one just before the election.
"We strongly oppose this move not only in Bihar but also in its potential rollout in other states. The integrity of the electoral process must not be compromised under the guise of verification," the statement said.