Owaisi accuses EC of quietly implementing NRC in Bihar ahead of polls

All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) President Asaduddin Owaisi accused the Election Commission of secretly implementing the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Bihar ahead of the upcoming state elections.

Owaisi warned that this could stop many rightful Indian citizens from voting and harm public trust in the Election Commission ahead of elections.

He said the new rules ask people to prove their own and their parents' birth details through documents, which many poor citizens, especially in flood-hit Seemanchal, do not have.

In a post on X, Asaduddin Owaisi wrote, "The Election Commission is conducting NRC in Bihar through the backdoor. To be enrolled in the voter roll, every citizen will now have to show documents not only proving when and where they were born, but also when and where their parents were born. Even the best estimates state that only three-fourths of births are registered. Most government documents are riddled with errors. People in the flood-prone Seemanchal region are among the poorest; they can barely afford two meals a day. To expect them to possess their parents' documents is a cruel joke."

He added that the Supreme Court had raised strict questions about such processes back in 1995.

"The result of this exercise will be that a large number of Bihar's poor will be removed from the electoral roll. Being enrolled in the electoral roll is a constitutional right of every Indian. The Supreme Court had raised serious concerns about such arbitrary procedures as far back as 1995. Initiating such action so close to elections will only weaken people's faith in the Election Commission," the post reads.

He said that people in Bihar have to show detailed birth documents to stay on the voter list, depending on when they were born.

"If you were born before July 1987, you must provide one of 11 accepted documents showing your date and/or place of birth. If you were born between 01.07.1987 and 02.12.2004, you must submit a document showing your own date and place of birth as well as a document proving the date and place of birth of one of your parents.If you were born after 02.12.2004, you are required to provide proof of your own date and place of birth along with documents establishing the date and place of birth for both parents. If either parent is not an Indian citizen, a copy of their passport and visa valid at the time of your birth must also be submitted," the post further reads.

Owaisi said the Election Commission plans to finish door-to-door voter checks in Bihar within a month, but this is unfair in a state with poor connectivity and a high population.

He cited a 1995 Supreme Court ruling, which said voters cannot be removed without notice and due process. The court also said that citizenship cannot be judged only through a few documents, and all kinds of valid proof must be accepted.

"The Election Commission of India (ECI) wants to complete a door-to-door verification of every voter within one month (June-July). Bihar is one of the most populous and least connected states in India, it is not practically possible to carry out such an exercise fairly there. In the Lal Babu Hussein case (1995), the Supreme Court ruled that a person who is already enrolled in the voter list cannot be removed without notice and due process. It is the ECI's responsibility to prove the basis on which a person is being treated as a foreigner. Most importantly, the Court held that citizenship cannot be proven only through a limited set of documents, all types of relevant evidence must be considered," the post reads.

Bihar elections are expected to be held later this year in October or November; however, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has not announced an official date.