The Hindu: Published on 7th July 2025:
Why in News?
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has begun a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, ahead of its Legislative Assembly elections due in November 2025. This is the first such national-level revision planned in two decades, starting with Bihar.
Background:
Last SIR in Bihar: Conducted in 2003.
Legal Authority: Article 324 of the Indian Constitution vests the EC with powers to conduct elections and manage electoral rolls.
Eligibility (RP Act, 1950): Only Indian citizens aged 18+ and who are ordinarily resident in a constituency can be registered voters.
The EC cites rapid urbanization, migration, and duplicate voter entries as reasons for the need to clean up the voter list.
Key Issues and Dimensions:
1- Why is Bihar first?
Bihar’s Assembly elections are due in late 2025.
It was also the state where the last SIR happened in 2003.
It serves as a test case before a nationwide rollout of SIR.
2- What is Different in This SIR?
Voters must submit enumeration forms to BLOs (unlike earlier house-to-house verification).
Documents Needed:
Voters enrolled after 2003 need to provide proof of date and place of birth (for themselves and parents).
Voters enrolled before 2003 need only their names from the 2003 roll.
3- Arguments in Support:
Necessary to remove ineligible names and eliminate duplicates.
Tech-enabled process ensures smoother operations than 2003.
More than 1 lakh BLOs and 4 lakh volunteers are deployed.
Aadhaar rightly excluded as not proof of citizenship or DOB.
4- Arguments Against:
Time-consuming and complex—over 8 crore voters in Bihar.
Migrants and students may not submit forms in time.
Around 3 crore voters may face difficulty providing required birth documents.
Exclusion of Aadhaar may hurt underprivileged who lack alternative documents.
5- Concerns About Migrant Workers:
EC’s current approach may exclude migrants if they're not at their place of registration.
RP Act says those temporarily absent are still “ordinarily resident”.
Many migrants vote from their home constituency, where their family/property exists.
EC’s 2023 plan for remote voting remains unimplemented.
Legal vs Practical Conflict:
Legally, the RP Act mandates documents proving citizenship and residency.
But Form 6 (as per 1960 Rules) accepts Aadhaar as proof of DOB/residence.
EC’s current SIR guidelines override this by asking for extra documents, creating a conflict with Central government rules.
What’s the Way Forward?
1- Balance Between Inclusion & Exclusion
Excluding eligible citizens is as dangerous as including fraudulent ones.
Errors in either direction can undermine democracy.
2- Flexibility with Documentation
EC should consider Aadhaar-based verification during claims/objections phase.
Provide alternate mechanisms for the underprivileged.
3- Safeguards for Migrants
Migrants should not be deleted from rolls simply for being away.
Follow precedent set for NRIs, who can vote from Indian constituencies even while abroad.
4- Technological Verification
Use Aadhaar seeding to eliminate duplicates, as discussed in EC’s March 2025 consultations.
Conclusion:
The SIR is a constitutionally backed and much-needed clean-up of voter records but must be executed with compassion, flexibility, and precision. EC must strike a balance between ensuring electoral purity and protecting the right to vote of legitimate citizens, especially migrant workers and vulnerable populations.
