Bihar SIR: 99% Voters Verified Before Friday Deadline, Yet 61 Lakh May Be Dropped; Oppn Mulls Poll Boycott
Bihar voter list revision nears its deadline with 7 lakh forms missing. 61 lakh names face removal. Opposition parties RJD and Congress hinted they are mulling threatening election boycotts.
With just a day left for the deadline of Bihar’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, around seven lakh voters have yet to submit their enumeration forms to the Election Commission of India (ECI). According to the poll body, approximately 61 lakh names are expected to be removed from the draft rolls as these voters are either deceased, have migrated permanently, or remain untraceable.
In a press statement on Thursday, the ECI said that 99 per cent of voters have already been covered under the revision process.
“Forms of 7.21 crore electors (91.32%) have been received and digitised; names of all these electors will be included in the Draft Electoral Roll. The remaining forms are also being digitised along with BLO/BLA reports to facilitate their verification during the claims and objections period,” the ECI noted.
Among the 61 lakh voters set to be removed, 21.6 lakh are deceased, 31.5 lakh have shifted permanently, seven lakh are registered in multiple places, and one lakh are untraceable. “Despite door-to-door visits by local BLOs/BLAs, forms of fewer than 7 lakh electors have still not been received,” the poll body added.
The ECI stated that booth-level lists of deceased, migrated, or unregistered electors have already been shared with all political parties so they can flag discrepancies. As per the SIR order, the draft electoral rolls will be released on August 1, with printed and digital copies provided to all 12 political parties. The draft will also be made available on the ECI website.
The Commission reiterated that voters and political parties can file claims or raise objections on omissions or incorrect inclusions until September 1.
Political Firestorm Over SIR Process, Oppn Mulls Bihar Election Boycott
The SIR exercise, aimed at cleaning up the electoral rolls ahead of the Bihar assembly polls expected in October-November, has triggered a fierce political row. RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on Thursday hinted at a possible boycott of the elections, calling the SIR process fraudulent. “We are keeping the option open for boycott of the assembly polls. When the time comes, we will take a decision following a discussion with the alliance partners. What is happening in the name of SIR is nothing short of a fraud,” Yadav said, as reported by PTI.
Congress has also strongly criticised the ECI, describing the process as arbitrary and “Tughlaqi.” Party’s Bihar in-charge Krishna Allavaru said, “We have been saying that we will oppose this tooth and nail… We have been taking decisions collectively on all issues. All options are open and we will take a decision collectively but we will keep opposing this Tughlaqi process that is against Bihar and the country.”
Allavaru alleged that the ECI’s data was inaccurate and challenged Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar to verify the process randomly across assembly segments. He further accused the Commission of colluding with the BJP to disenfranchise marginalised communities.
Speaking to ANI, KC Venugopal said, "Circumstances prevailing in the country pressurised Tejashwi Yadav to say this. The Election Commission is indirectly approving the removal of so many names from the electoral roll. Why are they doing this special exercise within the stipulated time? Their intention is not correct. We will not allow it to happen."
JD-U MP Gets Notice for Criticising Bihar SIR As 'Tughlaqi Farmaan'
In a parallel development, JD-U MP from Banka, Girdhari Yadav, received a show-cause notice from the party after he publicly criticised the ECI’s SIR drive. According to IANS, JD-U national general secretary Afaque Ahmad Khan issued the notice, warning that Yadav’s remarks were beyond the party’s official line and risked strengthening opposition allegations.
Yadav, however, defended his statement, calling the ECI’s directive a “Tughlaqi farmaan (Tughlaqi decree).” “If the Election Commission had to get this done, it should have done it six months ago, not during the farming and rainy season. It took us ten days to collect the papers. My son is in America. How will he sign within a month?” he said.
While reiterating his loyalty to the JD-U, Yadav added, “We will vote with the party, but I also have my own views. If you think this is against the party, so be it, but this is the truth. If we cannot speak the truth, why are we MPs?”
The controversy over the SIR drive continues to escalate as the state gears up for assembly elections later this year.
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