Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav on Monday expressed serious concerns over the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar, alleging that large numbers of voters could be disenfranchised due to stringent documentation requirements.
Addressing a press conference, the Leader of the Opposition in the Bihar Assembly claimed that people without any of the 11 documents listed for verification risk having their names removed from the electoral register.
“The people of Bihar don’t have the 11 documents that the Election Commission has asked for. Most of them only have Aadhaar, MGNREGA, or ration cards — these are the only documents the poor possess. Those who don’t have these 11 documents will be removed from the rolls,” he said.
Yadav also criticised the Election Commission (EC) for its alleged lack of transparency, stating that the opposition delegation had met the EC on 5 July to raise these issues but had received no response.
“The worrying thing is that we still have no clarity from the EC. Everyone knows that the Bihar office of the EC functions like a post office and lacks the authority to provide answers. Why are they not responding to the opposition or to the people of Bihar?” Yadav asked.
He further highlighted inconsistencies in the EC’s directives, saying, “On 6 July, the EC issued three different instructions. This shows that the Commission itself is confused. The Mahagathbandhan alliance expresses deep concern over the contradictory directions and advertisements issued by the EC.”
The revision exercise has sparked widespread opposition, with several political parties and civil society groups calling it discriminatory and arbitrary. Petitions challenging the EC’s decision have already been filed in the Supreme Court. The court is scheduled to hear the matter on 10 July.
The petitioners include RJD MP Manoj Jha, the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), activist Yogendra Yadav, Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra, and former Bihar MLA Mujahid Alam.
They are seeking to quash the directive i.e dated 24 June, which also mandates voters to submit their proof of citizenship to retain names on the rolls.
The petitioners argue that the new requirement imposes an unfair burden of proof on citizens and risks excluding millions, particularly marginalised and poor voters in rural Bihar.
They have also criticised the exclusion of commonly held identity documents such as Aadhaar and ration cards, warning that this could disproportionately affect vulnerable communities.
In its defence, the Election Commission said on 6 July that the Special Intensive Revision process was progressing smoothly across Bihar, with strong cooperation from the electorate.
According to the EC’s statement, the initial phase — which involved printing and distributing Enumeration Forms — was nearly complete, with forms being made available to all reachable voters.
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