Bihar’s upcoming draft electoral rolls are poised to exclude a staggering 66,00,000 names, as the Election Commission (EC) concludes its extensive Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise. This significant culling stems from a comprehensive audit that identified electors as deceased, permanently relocated, untraceable, or registered in multiple locations. The EC stated that approximately 22,00,000 individuals were found to be deceased, 36,00,000 had shifted or were untraceable, and 700,000 were enrolled at multiple places, with others failing to submit enumeration forms by the deadline.
The EC has lauded the overwhelming participation of over 72mn electors who submitted forms, representing 99.8% of the state's electorate. The draft rolls are scheduled for publication on August 1st, followed by a month-long period until September 1st for genuine electors to be included through claims and objections. The Commission has assured that no name will be deleted without proper notice and a speaking order from electoral registration officers, affirming its commitment to the purity of the electoral list.
However, this revision has ignited a fierce political controversy in the poll-bound state. Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav of the RJD has vehemently criticised the exercise, alleging it is a ‘BJP- commissioned’ effort designed to undermine the democratic process and manipulate voter data. Yadav, backed by his INDIA bloc partners, even suggested the RJD might contemplate boycotting the assembly elections. This prompted a heated exchange in the legislative assembly with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who defended his government's track record and dismissed Yadav’s accusations as mere ‘Political noise’, asserting that the EC’s actions are constitutional and necessary to prevent ineligible individuals from voting.
Accept Aadhaar along with voter ID: SC to EC
The Supreme Court told the Election Commission to proceed to authenticate voters based on Aadhaar card and Electors Photo Identity Card (EPIC) and said that the SIR in the state should be aimed at en masse inclusion rather than en masse exclusion. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi, however, turned down the plea for putting a stay on SIR exercise. Instead, the court said it would hold daily hearings to enable an expeditious ruling on the issue.
To EC’s argument that Aadhaar was not a conclusive proof of identity, the court asked which single document gave conclusive proof and told the commission to accept Aadhaar along with EPIC for verifying a voter’s credentials.
The court in its earlier order had said, “It would be in the interests of justice if the EC also considers the following three documents such as 1) Aadhaar card; 2) EPIC issued by EC, and 3) Ration card, as these documents would satisfy most of the voters.”