Bihar Assembly Election 2025: As Bihar inches closer to its Assembly elections, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has strongly defended its ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll, pushing back against political allegations and calling on citizens to reflect on the importance of accurate voter lists beyond partisan lines.
ECI stresses constitutional mandate
In a statement, the Commission invoked the Indian Constitution as the bedrock of democracy, asking critics whether the institution should turn a blind eye to fake or outdated entries in the electoral rolls. “Should the Election Commission, getting misled by some people, pave the way for fake votes in the name of deceased voters, migrated voters, duplicate entries or even foreign nationals?” the ECI asked rhetorically.
It argued that a clean and authentic voter list, created transparently, forms the foundation of fair elections and a strong democracy. “At some point, all citizens must think deeply on this beyond political ideologies,” the Commission added, suggesting that such a moment had now arrived.
Bihar SIR
The first phase of the SIR in Bihar, which began on 24 June 2025, is set to conclude soon, with the deadline for submitting enumeration forms fixed for 25 July. According to the Commission, 98.01% of Bihar’s 7.9 crore electorate had been covered by 23 July.
A key discovery during the revision process has been the identification of 56 lakh electors, around 7% of the total, whose names should not have appeared in the rolls. These included deceased individuals, those who have permanently migrated, or electors registered in more than one location.
Officials stressed that such entries, if left uncorrected, could facilitate bogus voting and severely compromise the credibility of the elections.
Opposition alleges bias, mulls boycott
However, the revision exercise has become politically contentious. Tejashwi Yadav, Leader of the Opposition and RJD leader, has alleged that the ECI is acting “at the behest of the BJP and ruling NDA”.
He said the Opposition may consider boycotting the upcoming elections, depending on feedback from the public and alliance partners. “What is the use of participating in an election where the results appear to be pre-decided?” Yadav asked.
His remarks followed a heated exchange in the Bihar Assembly on 23 July between the ruling NDA and the opposition mahagathbandhan over the SIR process, which Yadav claimed was being used selectively.