Election Commission Faces Scrutiny as 200,000 Seek Name Removal from Bihar Voter Rolls

The Election Commission is conducting a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list in Bihar. This process has drawn criticism from the Congress and RJD parties, which are actively protesting with a voter rights campaign, led by figures such as Rahul Gandhi and Tejashwi Yadav. These leaders are voicing their concerns regarding the SIR. The Election Commission has revealed that around 198,000 individuals have submitted requests to have their names removed from the voter list. In contrast, the commission has received approximately 30,000 applications for the inclusion of names. The draft voter list was released on August 1, with a deadline of September 1 for “claims and objections” from both citizens and political parties. Under existing election laws, citizens and political parties have the right to contest the inclusion of names they consider ineligible. Similarly, those who believe they have been wrongly excluded can apply for inclusion. The final voter list for Bihar, which is likely to be used in the November elections, will be published on September 30. Political parties’ booth-level agents have submitted claims related to the draft voter list, including 25 for inclusion and 103 for removal requests. The Election Commission has stated that 99.11% of Bihar’s 7.24 crore voters have submitted their verification documents. The Supreme Court has instructed the Election Commission to accept either Aadhaar cards or any of the 11 other recognized documents from potential voters. The Election Commission has appealed to the Supreme Court to continue to trust in its conduct of the special intensive revision campaign in the electoral state of Bihar. The opposition has expressed strong concerns, suggesting the SIR is biased and possibly a tool of the ruling party, aiming to exclude certain communities from the voter rolls.