𝐖𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐲 𝐎𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐄𝐂’𝐬 𝐒𝐮𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 “𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧” 𝐢𝐧 𝐁𝐢𝐡𝐚𝐫

The Election Commission issued a sudden notification on 24th June 2025 to conduct a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar—an exercise to scrap the current voter list entirely and rebuild it from scratch by conducting door-to-door verification and re-enrolment of all eligible voters.

This, just months ahead of the Bihar assembly elections, raises serious concerns about the intentions, timing, and transparency of the EC.

𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐬?

This move comes at a time when the Election Commission has ignored the Congress party’s repeated demands for corrections and transparency in Maharashtra’s electoral rolls. Why then this sudden urgency for Bihar?

𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐂’𝐬 𝐒𝐈𝐑 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐲:

Those born before 1 July 1987 will be asked to furnish valid documentary proof of their birth or place of birth.

Voters born between 1 July 1987 and 2 December 2004 must produce valid documents of at least one parent along with their own, proving Indian citizenship.

Born after 2 December 2004: You’ll need your documents and both your parents’. If your parents aren’t Indian citizens—or if you can’t prove they are—you’ll need to produce their legitimate passport and a self-attested copy of their visa at the time of your birth.

If the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in Bihar were conducted through the existing voter rolls then how can the upcoming assembly elections be conducted through new voter lists?

And most importantly, amid, these challenges, how will the government complete this exercise within 25 days? This is a perfect recipe for the exclusion of millions!

𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐑𝐢𝐬𝐤 𝐨𝐟 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭:

According to the NFHS–III survey: Those born in Bihar between 2001–25: only 2.8% had a birth certificate.

According to the NFHS–II survey: In Bihar, among the males aged 40 to 60 years, only 10%-13% have completed matriculation.

Door-to-door verification just months before elections will create panic and confusion and ultimately exclude countless poor, Dalits, Adivasis, minorities, migrants, and women—people already marginalised.

The Congress Party rejects and opposes this SIR exercise in Bihar and any such plan in other states.

We will not allow the identity, existence, and citizenship of Indians to be put under the scanner at the hands of a partisan and pro-government Election Commission.

This is not a voter list clean-up—it is a voter purge. Don’t let your vote be taken away! :

Congress Party