SIR rolls on in Bihar even as Opposition warns of voter erasure

Ever since the Election Commission on June 24 announced a comprehensive revision of the electoral roll in Bihar—also called the Special Intensive Revision (SIR)—there has been considerable outcry from the Opposition parties over the move.

From the Parliament session in New Delhi to the Bihar Vidhan Sabha session in Patna, the Opposition has staged protests against the SIR exercise, alleging that it is an attempt “to disenfranchise lakhs of poor voters who cannot produce the requisite documents required to be submitted along with the enumeration forms (EFs).”

The deadline for submitting these forms is July 25. The Election Commission will then publish a draft electoral roll on August 1, after which the voters will have around one month to rectify any errors in their name, address, and mobile number. Once corrections are made, the EC will publish the final voters’ list in September, which will also be digitised. A copy of the final roll will be provided to all registered political parties.

While no one has questioned the intention behind the SIR drive—through which the Election Commission aims to clean the Augean Stables and weed out bogus voters—what sparked controversy was the EC's directive that Aadhaar, ration cards, and voters identity cards could not be submitted as supporting documents to be attached with enumeration forms.

It was only when the Supreme Court of India, during its hearing on the matter earlier this month, made an oral observation that the EC reconsidered and included Aadhaar, permanent account number (PAN), and ration cards as valid documentary proof of identity that the furor over SIR somewhat subsided.

The EC eventually clarified that all genuine voters could submit their EFs to the booth-level officers (BLOs) even without documents (if they do not have them at the time), provided they submit the necessary documents at a later stage for verification. Around one lakh BLOs and thousands of booth-level agents (BLAs) have been working tirelessly to collect the EFs from Bihar's 7.9 crore voters.

On July 21, the EC further clarified in its affidavit submitted to the apex court that it “cannot accept Aadhaar as a valid document, as it is merely a proof of identity; there are a large number of fake ration cards in circulation; and relying on existing voter identity cards would render the special drive (conducted under Article 326 of the Constitution) futile.”

Despite the continuing standoff, the SIR drive in Bihar is proceeding at full pace. With the deadline to submit the enumeration forms fast approaching on July 25, the EC claims that nearly 97 per cent of the electorate has already been covered.

According to EC sources, of Bihar's 78,969,844 voters, 52.3 lakh were found to be no longer residing at their registered addresses. Of these 52.3 lakh voters, 18.7 lakh were reported as deceased, around 26 lakh had permanently shifted, 7.5 lakh were enrolled in multiple locations, and 11,484 were marked “not traceable.” “Such voters will be weeded out to improve the integrity of the electoral roll,” an EC source said.

Even as the SIR drive continues, which gained momentum after the Supreme Court refused to stay the EC's move, the Opposition remains deeply sceptical. Former Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav has written a letter to 35 political parties—including NDA allies such as TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu, Chirag Paswan (LJP-R), Jitan Ram Manjhi (HAM), and Anupriya Patel (Apna Dal in UP), as well as opposition leaders Rahul Gandhi, Mamata Banerjee, Sharad Pawar, Akhilesh Yadav, and others—registering his strong protest.

“The farce and tragedy of the SIR going on in Bihar has shaken the very foundation of democracy through large-scale disenfranchisement. It is a clear indication of how the independent institution of the Election Commission is adamant on eroding public trust in the integrity of our electoral process,” Tejashwi wrote, adding that he was writing the letter in "a deep sense of anguish and urgency".

He further pointed out that the experience of Maharashtra was still fresh in people's minds and the EC had yet to respond to the concerns raised regarding the revision of voters’ lists there.

“Now it’s Bihar’s turn. This must be resisted in the strongest terms possible. Because if we do not raise our voices and register our strong protest, the same will be carried out in other states as well. The Constitution demands that we defend the republic. We should not be found wanting at this historical juncture,” said Tejashwi.

“Despite the Opposition's concern, I believe the SIR should have been undertaken before the Lok Sabha elections and applied across the country. Secondly, the EC should have accepted Aadhaar as a valid document. After all, if they are accepting passports and bank passbooks—both linked to Aadhaar—then why not Aadhaar itself?" opined senior journalist Giridhar Jha, who has reported on Bihar for over three decades.

The Supreme Court will hear the SIR matter afresh on July 28.