Electoral Roll Controversy: Calls for Transparency in Bihar's SIR Process

Rajya Sabha MP Jebi Mather Hisham raised alarms on Wednesday with an Adjournment Motion concerning the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar. She submitted a letter to the Secretary General, highlighting fears that the exercise could disenfranchise marginalized communities due to a lack of safeguards and transparency by the Election Commission of India (ECI). Hisham emphasized the significance of the issue for the upcoming elections in Kerala and beyond.

Other political figures, including MPs Akhilesh Prasad Singh, Syed Naseer Hussain, Ranani Ashokrao Patil, and Ranjeet Ranjan, echoed similar concerns, pressing for an urgent discussion on the SIR process in Bihar as a critical public matter. Separately, TMC MP Sushmita Dev pointed to the government's alleged 'exclusionary agenda,' suggesting the revision process aims to strip voting rights under a guise of electoral roll updates.

Dev's letter accused authorities of disenfranchising two crore voters, particularly targeting impoverished and migrant communities by requiring documentation that many citizens lack. Essential documents like Aadhaar and ration cards were initially excluded, complicating the verification process. The timing of the SIR during monsoon floods and migration further exacerbates compliance challenges, raising concerns that the exercise might serve as a voter exclusion mechanism rather than a legitimate update.

(With inputs from agencies.)