EC's Special Review in Bihar Sparks Controversy Amid Voter Roll Overhaul

Last Updated Jul - 01 - 2025, 06:22 PM | Source : Fela News

The Election Commission begins a Special Intensive Review of electoral rolls in Bihar to weed out illegal migrants and duplicates. Opposition warns it may disen

Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on Tuesday, 1 July announced regarding the eligibility of the voters. He said that qualified voters should register themselves as voters only in constituencies where they are ordinary residents rather than areas where they own a house or two.

His comments coincide with the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voters' list in Bihar, as the state prepares for elections later this year.

A major aim of the exercise is to identify “numerous individuals” who, either knowingly or unintentionally, possess multiple voter ID cards registered in different constituencies.

Addressing a group of booth-level officers, the CEC said, "As per the Representation of the People Act, you are entitled to vote only in the assembly constituency where you are an ordinary resident. For example, if you ordinarily reside in Delhi but own a house in Patna, your vote should be registered in Delhi, not in Patna."

Opposition parties have alleged that the ongoing exercise may disenfranchise legitimate voters and potentially favor the ruling party in Bihar.

Between 1952 and 2004, the electoral rolls underwent nine intensive revisions either nationwide or in specific regions—approximately once every six years. However, this marks the first such exercise in 22 years. The Election Commission has announced that it will conduct a comprehensive review of electoral rolls in six states, starting with Bihar, to identify and remove ‘foreign illegal migrants’ by verifying their place of birth.

While Bihar heads to the polls later this year, states such as Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal are set for assembly elections in 2026.

This initiative gains importance amid ongoing crackdowns on 'illegal foreign migrants' in several states, including individuals from Bangladesh and Myanmar.

Election Commission officials stated that although the issue of duplicate voter card numbers—where the same number is mistakenly assigned to two individuals—has been addressed, the problem of individuals enrolling in multiple constituencies using inconsistent personal information can only be effectively tackled through the Special Intensive Revision (SIR).