RJD Moves Top Court Over Bihar Voter Roll Revision, Mahua Alleges ‘Machiavellian Plan’ As ECI Defends Drive
Bihar's electoral roll revision faces legal challenges as RJD and TMC petition the Supreme Court, alleging disenfranchisement. TMC's Moitra accuses the ECI of a "Machiavellian plan" to target young voters
As the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls advances across Bihar, political tensions have escalated with leaders from Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Trinamool Congress (TMC) approaching the Supreme Court to challenge the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) decision.
Representing RJD, party MP Manoj Jha has filed a petition in the Supreme Court opposing the ECI’s directive to immediately implement the SIR just months ahead of the state assembly elections, news agency ANI reported.
The ECI announced on Sunday that the initial stage of SIR had concluded, with the distribution and printing of enumeration forms nearly complete. According to its statement, by 6 PM on Sunday, 1,69,49,208 forms—accounting for 21.46 per cent of Bihar’s 7.90 crore enrolled voters—had been collected, with 7.25 per cent uploaded to ECINET.
The ECI underscored that the revision process was proceeding without disruption, bolstered by voters’ cooperation, and reiterated there had been no amendments to the instructions issued on 24 June 2025, dismissing rumours circulating online.
“No Party Was Satisfied with Current Rolls”: CEC Gyanesh Kumar
Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar highlighted the extensive efforts underway across the state, stating, “During the past 4 months, all 4,123 EROs, all 775 DEOs and all 36 CEOs have held nearly 5,000 meetings with 28,000 political party representatives. ECI has also invited all recognised political parties for interaction. No one was satisfied with the current status of electoral rolls for one reason or the other,” ANI quoted him as saying.
The ECI added that 77,895 Booth Level Officers (BLOs) were going door to door to assist voters in filling and submitting forms, frequently capturing live photographs for verification. An additional 20,603 BLOs and nearly four lakh volunteers—including government staff, NCC cadets, and NSS members—are supporting elderly, differently-abled, and vulnerable voters.
TMC’s Mahua Moitra Alleges “Machiavellian Plan” By ECI
Meanwhile, TMC MP Mahua Moitra launched a scathing attack on the ECI’s directive, alleging the SIR in Bihar was a calculated move to disenfranchise eligible young voters and accusing the Commission of planning similar actions in West Bengal, where polls are scheduled for 2026. “They (EC) have now introduced it to deprive the bonafide young electorate of Bihar, where elections are slated to be held shortly. Later, they will target Bengal, where elections are due in 2026,” Moitra told PTI Video.
Moitra, who has also petitioned the Supreme Court, asserted the ECI’s decision violates multiple provisions of the Constitution and the Representation of People (RP) Act, 1950. She emphasised, “The @ECISVEEP is now @BJP4India’s arm - executing its Machiavellian plans on ground. Has forgotten its constitutional mandate to provide enabling services to citizens to exercise their franchise,” in a post on X, attaching a video of her remarks.
Moitra further claimed the SIR order aims to disenfranchise lakhs of bona fide voters born between 1 July 1987 and 2 December 2004, to benefit the ruling BJP. In her plea, she sought an order preventing the ECI from issuing similar instructions in other states. She argued the SIR violates Articles 14, 19(1)(a), 21, 325, and 328 of the Constitution, as well as provisions of the RP Act, 1950, and Registration of Electors Rules, 1960.
Civil Society Groups Join Legal Battle
Several civil society groups, including the People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) and the Association of Democratic Reforms, alongside activists like Yogendra Yadav, have also approached the Supreme Court against the ECI’s decision.
According to the ECI, the SIR exercise was necessitated by factors such as rapid urbanisation, frequent migration, newly eligible young voters, unreported deaths, and inclusion of names of foreign illegal immigrants. The Commission assured that it would “scrupulously adhere to the constitutional and legal provisions” in updating the electoral rolls.
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