Voter suppression or fair revision? Bihar's SIR fuels big political fight
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News18
30 minutes ago
- News18
Bihar Electoral Roll Review: ADR Approaches Supreme Court, Calls Move 'Unconstitutional'
Last Updated: The Election Commission of India on Saturday said that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar is progressing at a robust pace The Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), a key NGO focused on electoral reforms, has filed a petition in the Supreme Court against the Election Commission of India's directive for a 'Special Intensive Revision" (SIR) of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar. Filed by Advocate Prashant Bhushan on Friday, ADR labels the ECI's directive 'unconstitutional", cautioning that it might disenfranchise millions of voters and disrupt the free and fair elections, a fundamental part of the Constitution. The NGO's petition points out issues such as 'lack of due process" and 'the unreasonably short timeline" regarding the ECI's order, dated June 24. ADR argues that this directive unfairly shifts the burden of proving eligibility from the state to individual citizens. The petition emphasises that the SIR demands stringent documentation, often excluding commonly held identification documents like Aadhaar cards or ration cards. This exclusion particularly impacts marginalised communities, including Muslims, Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and migrant workers, who often do not possess more formal documents such as birth certificates or parental records. ADR estimates that over three crore voters, especially from vulnerable sections of society, rural areas, or those who have migrated, could be excluded from the electoral rolls due to these rigorous requirements and the limited time for compliance. The NGO argues that the ECI's order violates fundamental rights protected under Articles 14 (equality before law), 19 (freedom of speech and expression), 21 (protection of life and personal liberty), 325 (no person to be ineligible for inclusion in, or to claim to be included in a special electoral roll on grounds of religion, race, caste, or sex), and 326 (universal adult franchise) of the Constitution. It also asserts violations of provisions of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, and Rule 21A of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960. ADR's legal challenge follows similar objections raised by a delegation of 11 opposition parties, who met the Election Commission on Wednesday, to protest the same electoral revision, famously calling it 'Votebandi". The opposition voiced concerns that this exercise could threaten democracy in Bihar. ADR's petition reinforces these apprehensions, seeking to overturn the ECI's order and calling for an immediate halt to its implementation. ADR stresses that such a drastic measure is unnecessary, especially since a Special Summary Revision was already conducted between October 2024 and January 2025. The Supreme Court is expected to hear the petition soon, with the electoral future of millions hanging in the balance ahead of the critical Bihar assembly elections. The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Saturday said that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar is progressing at a robust pace, with extensive participation from electoral officials, political party representatives, and thousands of volunteers working at the grassroots level to ensure no eligible voter is left out. According to an official statement from the Commission, as of 6 pm on Saturday, a total of 1,04,16,545 enumeration forms had been received—13.19 per cent of the total 7,89,69,844 registered electors in Bihar as of June 24, 2025. The percentage of enumeration forms distributed has reached 93.57 per cent, with 7,38,89,333 forms already handed out. The ECI highlighted the tireless efforts of 77,895 Booth Level Officers (BLOs) who are going door-to-door, assisting electors in filling and submitting their enumeration forms. In many instances, BLOs are also capturing live photographs of electors using mobile devices, helping them avoid the hassle of visiting photo studios. To facilitate ease of access, partially filled forms are available for download on the ECI's voter portal, and the ECINET app, where electors can also upload the completed forms themselves. In addition to the existing workforce, 20,603 additional BLOs are being deployed to ensure the timely and smooth completion of the revision process. The campaign is also being supported by nearly 4 lakh volunteers, including government officials, NCC cadets, and NSS members, who are assisting vulnerable groups such as the elderly, persons with disabilities (PwDs), the ailing, and others with mobility challenges. The process is being closely monitored and facilitated by 239 Electoral Registration Officers (EROs), 963 Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs), 38 District Election Officers (DEOs), and the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Bihar. Political parties are also playing a key role in the process, the ECI said, adding a total of 1,54,977 Booth Level Agents (BLAs) appointed by various parties are actively supporting the SIR exercise by coordinating with BLOs and helping electors. (With agency inputs) Get Latest Updates on Movies, Breaking News On India, World, Live Cricket Scores, And Stock Market Updates. Also Download the News18 App to stay updated! tags : bihar election supreme court Location : New Delhi, India, India First Published: July 06, 2025, 05:37 IST
Time of India
44 minutes ago
- Time of India
Lakhs in Bihar may lose vote, ADR tells SC
Supreme Court NEW DELHI: Election Commission's special intensive revision (SIR) of Bihar's electoral rolls just months before assembly polls has been challenged in Supreme Court with Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) telling the court that the decision has been taken arbitrarily with an impractical timeline and that it would disenfranchise lakhs of people, particularly from marginalised communities. This is against free and fair election, the organisation said. ADR, on whose pleas SC has in the past passed multiple orders to bring in electoral reforms, said in its petition that SIR's requirement for citizenship documentation disproportionately affects marginalised communities, including Muslims, SCs, STs and migrant workers, as Aadhaar and ration cards are not acceptable. Many people who didn't have the requisite documents might not be able to procure it within the short time period fixed by EC, it said. "The SIR order, if not set aside, can arbitrarily and without due process disenfranchise lakhs of voters from electing their representatives, thereby disrupting free and fair elections and democracy in the country," the petition said. "The documentation requirements of the directive, lack of due process as well as the unreasonably short timeline for SIR of electoral roll in Bihar further make this exercise bound to result in removal of names of lakhs of genuine voters from electoral rolls," it said. The EC order has "shifted the onus of being on the voters' list from the State to citizens. It has excluded identification documents such as Aadhaar or ration cards which further makes marginalised communities and the poor more vulnerable to exclusion from voting", it said. "The declaration as required under SIR process is violative of Article 326 in so far as it requires a voter to provide documents to prove his/her citizenship and also citizenships of his/her mother or father, failing which his/her name would not be added to the draft electoral roll and can be deleted from the same," the petition said Terming the timeline fixed by EC for SIR as unreasonable and impractical, the petition said lakhs of citizens who didn't possess the required documents may not be able to procure the documents within the short time. "Bihar is a state with high poverty and migration rates where many lack access to documents like birth certificates or parental records. As per estimates, over three crore voters and more particularly from marginalised communities could be excluded from voting due to the stringent requirements as mentioned in the SIR order. That the current reports from Bihar, where SIR is already underway, show that lakhs of voters from villages and marginalised communities do not possess the documents as being sought for them," the petition said. Questioning EC's decision allegedly taken in haste, the petition pointed out that the commission in May listed 21 initiatives to improve voter access and to streamline poll management but the SIR of electoral rolls was not mentioned.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
93% of Bihar voters given enumeration forms, 13.2% have submitted them: EC
Gyanesh Kumar NEW DELHI: With enumeration forms distributed to 93.7% of Bihar's 7.9 crore electorate so far and 13.2% electors already submitting the completed and signed forms, EC officials Saturday told TOI that documents can be added or uploaded by electors whose enumeration forms were submitted with incomplete documentation, right until July 25. July 25 is the last date for submission of the filled-up enumeration forms. "As of Saturday 6pm, over one crore enumeration forms (13.2% of Bihar's electors) have been received. The percentage of forms distributed has also gone up to 93.6%, with 7.4 crore forms given to the electors," an EC spokesperson said. Chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, while welcoming the fast-paced work on SIR in Bihar, said the exercise will be completed as scheduled, with the cooperation of all and 100% transparency. Sources in the poll panel told TOI that where enumeration forms are short on one or more required documents, there shall be a window for the elector concerned to submit them anytime before July 25. "In order to get one's name in the draft electoral roll, the strict condition is to sign and submit the pre-printed enumeration form before July 25. This step will filter out non-existent voters, either dead or migrated ones who are no longer ordinary residents of that assembly constituency," said an EC officer. Though BLOs will give their recommendation on "inclusion or exclusion" while submitting/uploading the filled up enumeration form, the electoral registration officer or assistant ERO is expected to scrutinise the forms "not recommended" by BLOs only after draft rolls are published on Aug 1. As many as 77,895 BLOs are going house-to-house to help the electors fill out their emuneration forms and collect them. In some cases, they are taking live pictures of the electors and uploading them, saving the elector the trouble of getting their pictures clicked. After the draft rolls are published on Aug 1, claims and objections may be filed by political parties or any member of the public until Sept 1. The final electoral roll will be published on Sept 30. Those still aggrieved can file first appeal with the district magistrate and second one with the chief electoral officer.
