Daijiworld Media Network- Patna

Patna, Jun 27: The Congress party has raised strong objections to the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) decision to undertake a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, ahead of the crucial 2025 Assembly elections. Terming the move “dangerous,” the party alleged that the exercise was nothing short of an attempt to manipulate the voter database under the guise of verification.

In a sharp statement released on Thursday, the party said the EC's notification was an “explicit admission” that all is not well with India’s electoral rolls — an issue that the Congress and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi have repeatedly flagged, particularly in Maharashtra.

Calling the revision process a “devious and dubious idea disguised as a solution,” the party warned that the SIR exercise, which involves door-to-door verification by government officials, could lead to the arbitrary and targeted exclusion of voters.

“This exercise hands over immense power to lakhs of government officials who will now decide who has the correct documents and who doesn’t. This opens the door for wilful disenfranchisement, especially among vulnerable communities,” the statement read.

The party also criticised the stringent and complex documentation requirements — especially the need for birth certificates of voters and their parents — calling them “whimsical and burdensome,” given Bihar’s population of over 8.1 crore eligible voters.

Raising questions about the EC’s sudden change in approach, the Congress pointed out that as recently as March 8, 2025, the Commission had floated a proposal to clean up electoral rolls using Aadhaar. While that method had its flaws, the party said it was far more acceptable than the sudden rollout of a fresh manual verification campaign.

“What changed in just three months that led the EC to abandon Aadhaar and instead push for a full-scale SIR in Bihar? This abrupt U-turn is suspicious,” the statement added.

With Assembly elections just a few months away, the Congress has expressed serious concern over the timing of the move. It recalled how the EC has consistently refused to address its concerns over alleged discrepancies in Maharashtra’s voter lists — a factor that now deepens its distrust.

“Given the Commission's repeated refusal to engage with our long-standing demands and its questionable decisions in the past, there is every reason to be wary of the intent behind this SIR campaign,” the Congress noted.

In conclusion, the party said it firmly opposes the Special Intensive Revision in Bihar and warned against similar attempts being made in other states.

“The integrity of the electoral process is sacred. Any move that compromises it under the pretext of verification must be resisted. We view this exercise as an attempt to discard the existing rolls and create new ones tailored for political convenience,” the statement read.

The Congress party’s sharp criticism comes amid rising political temperatures in Bihar, setting the stage for what could be a fierce electoral battle in the months to come.