Bihar opposition rejects voter list revision, warns of mass disenfranchisement

At a meeting with the Chief Electoral Officer in Patna on Wednesday, the RJD, CPI(ML) and other opposition parties of the INDIA Alliance vehemently rejected the Election Commission of India’s initiative to undertake a ‘Special Intensive Revision’ of the Bihar voter list, urging its cancellation within the state.

Rejecting the proposal, the INDIA Alliance alleged that the Bihar voter list revision is effectively the National Register of Citizens (NRC), threatening to remove millions from the electoral rolls, particularly those from the disadvantaged groups.

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The Election Commission’s stringent new guidelines require individuals born between 1 July 1987 and 2 December 2004 to provide proof of at least one parent’s Indian citizenship, and those born after 2 December 2004 to furnish proof of both parents’ citizenship — all within a one-month timeframe.

With elections just three months away, representatives from the INDIA alliance questioned the purpose of this special drive.

CPI (ML) General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya voiced strong apprehension regarding the Election Commission of India’s initiation of the Special Intensive Revision of Bihar’s voter rolls, characterising it as a process mirroring the NRC.

This initiative, he claimed, brings back memories of Assam’s NRC. He believes that in a state like Bihar, such an undertaking is not only administratively challenging but would also lead to the widespread exclusion of ordinary citizens, particularly those from marginalised communities, including the poor, Dalits, Adivasis, and Muslims.

The Left leader strongly urged the Election Commission to prevent Bihar from becoming a testing ground for these policies. He insisted that elections must be conducted fairly, inclusively, and democratically, not by frightening people with accusations of suspicion and dual citizenship checks.

RJD spokesperson Chittaranjan Gagan also argued at the meeting that a Special Intensive Revision of Bihar’s voter rolls is impractical so close to the state assembly elections. The process demands documents that many of the state’s millions of families simply don’t possess.

Gagan accused the government of orchestrating a deliberate attempt to disenfranchise hundreds of thousands of poor residents in Bihar. He questioned the timing of a special electoral roll revision, asking why it’s necessary now, just before the state assembly elections, especially given the lack of such revisions since 2003.

The Chief Electoral Officer stated that he would inform the Election Commission of India about the meeting’s outcome.