US EditionBihar Election 2025: ECI’s SIR Exercise Triggers Voter Exclusion Fears
- The Election Commission of India announced a comprehensive update of Bihar's electoral rolls from June 24 to July 26, 2025, in preparation for the upcoming assembly elections.
- The SIR requires 2.9 crore voters out of nearly 7.8 crore to submit eleven specified documents, leading to opposition and legal challenges from political parties and rights groups.
- The Election Commission later relaxed rules, allowing voters to submit enumeration forms without documents, while Booth Level Officers must accept and upload these forms with documents deferred.
- About 14% of voters had submitted forms by early July, but observers warn that 30-40 percent of names could vanish, and leaders argue the process risks disenfranchising marginalized groups.
- This controversy could affect election credibility and voter turnout, with critics fearing the process resembles a citizenship test that may exclude millions in Bihar and possibly other states.
18 Articles
18 Articles
Bihar voter list controversy: Election Commission eases rules, voter forms can be submitted without documents
As Bihar prepares for its upcoming assembly elections, the state is embroiled in a controversy regarding the voter list. The issue revolves around the extensive revision of the voter list, and the Election Commission has now provided a significant relief to voters by relaxing its rules. Voters in Bihar will now be able to submit their forms without the need for supporting documents. Election Commission eases submission rules In the face of grow…
The Election Commission's clarification came after confusion spread on social media over an advertisement published in a newspaper which said that 'now only form has to be filled, no need to submit documents'. On this, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge posted on X and alleged that this entire process is a conspiracy of the BJP-RSS to snatch the voting rights of Dalits and the underprivileged.
Bihar electoral list revision: EC eases rules, allows voters to submit forms first, documents later
Bihar’s chief electoral officer on Sunday announced a relaxation in rules for the ongoing special intensive revision of the state’s electoral rolls, allowing voters to submit filled-out enumeration forms even if they lack all the required documents.Booth-level officers have been instructed to accept and upload all signed forms, with the supporting documents to be submitted later, The Indian Express reported.The special intensive revision of the …
Poll body eases voter list rules in Bihar, documents can be submitted later
In a major relief to several voters in Bihar, the Election Commission of India clarified that even if the necessary documents and photos are not available, the enumeration form can be filled out and submitted to the Booth Level Officer.
Mahua Moitra petitions SC against Bihar electoral rolls revision
New Delhi: Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra has petitioned the Supreme Court challenging the Election Commission of India (ECI) decision to order Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar, apprehending that such a second revision of the voters list could be replicated in West Bengal. In her petition, filed through advocate Neha Rathi, Moitra claimed that she has information that the “said (SIR) exercise is stated …
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