Bihar assembly polls: First test after SIR, to set stage for nationwide exercise

The SIR began on June 25, with booth level officers visiting every household to prepare a fresh draft of electoral rolls.

Bihar is set to become the first state in India to conduct elections following the recent special intensive revision (SIR) of the voter list — an exercise that has become a major flashpoint in the state’s political landscape.

Voters wait for their turn at a polling booth in Bihar. (Santosh Kumar/ HT File Photo)

The extensive process led to the deletion of 6.8 million names, with the matter even reaching the Supreme Court, which did not stay the process but imposed certain conditions. The apex court will hear the matter on October 13.

The INDIA bloc, led by the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Congress, accused the Election Commission of India (ECI) of colluding with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), calling the SIR a “vote chori” (vote theft) exercise during Rahul Gandhi’s Voter Adhikar Yatra. Despite participating in the revision process, RJD and Congress alleged that genuine voters were being targeted.

Chief election commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, however, praised Bihar’s booth level officers (BLOs) for completing the exercise, stating that their effort will serve as an example for other states. “Just as Vaishali gave the country a republic, Bihar’s BLOs have now set a record in SIR,” the CEC said on Sunday, indicating that the revision had been a success despite criticism from the opposition.

The SIR began on June 25, with BLOs visiting every household to prepare a fresh draft of electoral rolls. The first draft, submitted on August 1, recorded the deletion of 6.5 million names. The final list, published on September 30, saw a further 300,000 deletions, bringing the total close to 6.8 million.

Janata Dal (United) working president Sanjay Jha said that the ECI had conducted the exercise transparently and that the Opposition’s objections only “exposed its insecurity”. “People never objected anywhere in the state because they realised it was a routine process to protect genuine voters. Despite attempts to instigate them, citizens supported it wholeheartedly. Vote theft is the INDIA bloc’s insecurity in a state where they have no chance. When they raised ‘vote chori’, people replied ‘Chor baje jor se’ (culprits speak the loudest),” he said.

Former Bihar Congress president and Rajya Sabha MP Akhilesh Prasad Singh said the party’s only demand was that the ECI ensure a free and fair election. “We just want poor and deprived voters to be allowed to vote. The INDIA bloc is fully geared up at the booth and village level, as people are determined to oust the Nitish government,” he said.

RJD general secretary Shashwat Gautam maintained that the issue of alleged vote theft had deeply resonated with the people, especially those angry over corruption in the NDA government. “Corruption has affected all sections of society, and people are frustrated. Even transfers and postings of officials before elections raise suspicions. I have written to the ECI about the transfer of an IAS officer, SDO (Pakridayal), within 45 days of posting just before the polls. Such transfers raise doubts on misuse of official machinery,” he alleged.