ECI’s Bihar Roll Revision: Democracy at Risk?
Special electoral revision threatens Bihar’s voter rights, Congress claims.
The Congress party on Thursday launched a scathing attack on the Election Commission of India (ECI), alleging that its Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Bihar’s electoral rolls is a deliberate move to undermine democracy rather than improve voter lists. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh cited the ECI’s own 2024 Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices (KAP) survey, conducted across all 243 assembly constituencies in Bihar post the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, which described the state’s electoral rolls as having “near-perfect accuracy,” highlighting the robustness of the existing system.
Ramesh, in a post on X, questioned the necessity of the SIR, pointing out that the ECI’s own findings in January 2025 showed no urgent need for such an overhaul. He argued that the focus should be on including eligible voters, many of whom remain unenrolled due to bureaucratic hurdles and lack of awareness about voter registration processes. “The ECI’s priority should be inclusion, not exclusion,” Ramesh emphasized, noting that many respondents in the KAP survey cited difficulties in obtaining voter cards due to complex paperwork.
The Congress leader raised suspicions about the timing of the SIR, questioning whether it was prompted by political pressures to secure a “rigged election” in Bihar to bolster the National Democratic Alliance’s (NDA) fragile coalition. “What has changed since January 2025 to justify this sudden revision?” Ramesh asked, suggesting that the move could be linked to efforts to protect the ruling coalition’s interests.
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The Congress alleges that the SIR risks disenfranchising voters under the guise of cleansing electoral rolls, calling it a direct threat to democratic principles. As Bihar prepares for upcoming elections, the controversy has sparked a heated debate over the ECI’s intentions and the integrity of the electoral process.
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