Bihar’s SIR voter list revision becomes a flashpoint ahead of the Monsoon Session of Parliament (Photo:moneycontrol)
The long-awaited Monsoon Session of Parliament is set to start today, the first session of Parliament following the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor. While the government is ready to bulldoze 15 important bills, the Opposition including the INDIA Bloc leaders are ready to pin down the ruling BJP on some key issues, with the contentious Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Bihar’s electoral roll being the focal point.
The SIR electoral roll is an innovative voter list validation campaign by the Election Commission of India, that aimed at conducting free and fair elections. Under house-to-house counting, the ECI creates new electoral rolls without dependency on prior voter lists. The exercise is generally carried out when current rolls are outdated, incorrect, or need to be rebuilt in entirety usually before large-scale elections or after delimitation of constituencies.
In Bihar, the SIR started on July 1, 2025, as a part of preparation for the forthcoming state assembly polls. More than 4.89 crore enrolled voters are being checked by trained Booth Level Officers (BLOs) who are going door-to-door to make sure that no eligible voter is omitted and no ineligible individual is found on the rolls. The draft electoral roll is to be published on August 1, and claims and objections will be entertained until September 1. The updated final voters’ list will be published by September 30.
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But the Opposition, led by the Congress, has brought grave concerns to the exercise. Alleging irregularities, the party has challenged previous elections held using the same voters’ list and attacked the ECI for allegedly mismanaging the process. Congress claims are supported by statistics released by the ECI, which discovered more than 5.76 lakh voters registered in more than one location and 12.55 lakh dead voters on the rolls. Also, more than 35.69 lakh voters were not located at their registered locations during the verification drive.
Even BJP’s partners like Janata Dal-United (JDU), Telugu Desam Party (TDP), and Upendra Kushwaha have already raised questions about the transparency of the revision. Congress has now demanded statewide protests in Bihar against what it calls a “controversial” voter list makeover before elections.
With the Monsoon Session likely to see intense debate on issues of national security, governance, and electoral reforms, the Bihar SIR controversy is most likely to be a contentious issue between the government and the Opposition.
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Sofia Babu Chacko is a journalist with over five years of experience covering Indian politics, crime, human rights, gender issues, and stories about marginalized communities. She believes that every voice matters, and journalism has a vital role to play in amplifying those voices. Sofia is committed to creating impact and shedding light on stories that truly matter. Beyond her work in the newsroom, she is also a music enthusiast who enjoys singing.
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