"Is it Necessary to Eliminate Names of Infiltrators from the Bihar Voter Rolls According to Amit Shah's Criticism of the Opposition?"
In the lead-up to the Bihar Assembly elections scheduled for November 2025, a significant controversy has arisen over the removal of names from the voter list during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. This contentious issue has become a major flashpoint in Bihar's electoral politics.
Opposition parties, including the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Indian National Congress, have strongly opposed the removal of infiltrators' or unverified names from the electoral rolls. They argue that this process, involving strict document submission like birth certificates, passports, and matriculation certificates (excluding Aadhaar cards), risks mass disenfranchisement of marginalized groups, including Muslims and the poor, who often lack such documentation due to Bihar’s low literacy rates and socio-economic conditions.
The RJD, led by Tejashwi Yadav, and other opposition parties have actively challenged the revision exercise, raising cases in the Supreme Court about unlawful deletions. They claim that over 65 lakh voters may have been removed improperly. Tejashwi and other leaders have highlighted the anxiety among voters over potentially being excluded and the political implications of removing such large numbers from the rolls. The opposition has held protests, some of which led to police detentions of lawmakers, including Rahul Gandhi, for demanding a rollback of the revision process.
On the other hand, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) appears to support the cleaning of electoral rolls, considering it essential for free and fair elections, though explicit detailed stances from ruling Bihar parties on infiltrator name removals were less prominently reported. The BJP had nominated a large number of candidates ahead of the polls, suggesting electoral confidence despite controversies around the voter list revision.
The Supreme Court has been involved in hearings concerning this issue, with petitioners submitting that the exercise risks wrongful exclusion and difficulties for genuine voters to get re-enrolled if removed close to the roll freezing date around 30 September 2025.
During a public rally in Bihar's Sitamarhi district, Union Home Minister Amit Shah launched a scathing attack on the Opposition, accusing them of opposing the SIR exercise to save infiltrators, who he alleged are their vote bank. Shah reiterated that SIR is a routine process, not a new development, and was introduced by India's first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru.
It is important to note that the Election Commission of India has not yet announced the official schedule for the Bihar Assembly election; the polls are expected to take place in October or November 2025.
References:
- India Today
- The Hindu
- NDTV
- The Print
- The Indian Express
- The controversy over the removal of names from the voter list in Bihar's electoral politics has extended to war-and-conflicts within the political arena, with opposition parties like the RJD and Indian National Congress accusing the ruling BJP of wrongful exclusion.
- Amidst the ongoing debate on policy-and-legislation surrounding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, the general news scene is dominated by reports of court hearings and political protests, led by opposition leaders such as Tejashwi Yadav and Rahul Gandhi.
- The issue of unverified names being removed from the voter list in Bihar, under the SIR exercise, has also been tethered to crime-and-justice, as questions about voting rights and the potential for mass disenfranchisement have arisen, particularly among marginalized groups.
