ECI begins Bihar electoral roll review, says only Indian citizens can vote

The EC has launched a special revision of electoral rolls in Bihar citing constitutional norms; the Opposition claims it targets marginalised voters before polls

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Saturday announced the launch of a special intensive revision of electoral rolls in Bihar, ahead of Assembly elections scheduled for later this year. The poll body reiterated that, under the Constitution, only Indian citizens are eligible to vote.

 

Referring to Article 326, the ECI stated that Indian citizenship, a minimum age of 18 years, and ordinary residency in a constituency are the constitutional requirements for voting.

 

“The Constitution of India is supreme. All citizens, political parties, and the Election Commission of India follow the Constitution,” the Commission said in a statement.

 

 

The clarification comes amid rising criticism from Opposition parties, which have questioned the intent and timing of the revision exercise.

Roll verification extended to five other states

The ECI is conducting similar intensive roll verification drives in five additional states — Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal — all due for elections in 2026. The review includes efforts to identify and remove ineligible voters, particularly foreign nationals who may be fraudulently enrolled. Officials have been instructed to check the place of birth of registered voters as part of the exercise.

Massive mobilisation underway in Bihar

In Bihar, the review has begun with the deployment of nearly 78,000 booth level officers (BLOs), with more than 20,000 additional BLOs to be appointed for new polling stations. Over 100,000 volunteers will assist vulnerable voters, including the elderly, the ill, persons with disabilities, the poor, and other disadvantaged groups.

 

Political parties are participating in the process, having appointed 154,977 booth level agents (BLAs) to work alongside BLOs during voter verification. The ECI said it is open to further appointments.

 

New enumeration forms are being printed and distributed to all 78.9 million electors across Bihar’s 243 Assembly constituencies. Of these, 49.6 million voters listed as of 1 January 2003 need only verify and update their details.

INDIA bloc alleges political targeting

The INDIA alliance in Bihar has strongly opposed the revision, calling it a “conspiracy” to favour the BJP-led NDA in the upcoming elections.

 

At a joint press conference, RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav, Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera, and CPI(ML) general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya said they would send a delegation to the EC and warned of further action if adequate answers were not provided.

 

Yadav questioned the timing: “If the EC was so serious about holding this exercise, why did it not begin immediately after last year’s Lok Sabha polls?”

 

He alleged the decision came after Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s recent visit to Delhi and claimed the EC may have been directed to act in the ruling coalition’s favour.

Fears of disenfranchisement of marginalised voters

Yadav criticised the requirement for birth certificates of voters and their parents, claiming it would disproportionately affect Dalits, Muslims, and backward classes. “It appears that those unable to furnish the requisite documents may have their names removed from the voter list,” he said.

 

He also warned that exclusion from the rolls could result in loss of welfare benefits, calling the move “aligned with the anti-people thinking of the BJP-RSS”.

 

The RJD leader pointed out that the last similar revision took two years and questioned the feasibility of completing this one in a month. “If it’s possible to finish this in 25 working days, I challenge the Centre to complete the caste census in two months,” he said. 

Meanwhile, AIMIM President Asaduddin Owaisi has accused the Election Commission of secretly implementing the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Bihar ahead of the upcoming state elections.

 

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."

Congress slams EC’s 'silence'

Congress leader Pawan Khera accused the poll body of wilful inaction. “Mahatma Gandhi’s three monkeys saw, heard and spoke no evil. The EC sees, hears, and speaks no truth,” he said.

 

Khera added, “When Rahul Gandhi raised concerns over Assembly polls in Maharashtra, it was the BJP that responded. What do we make of that?”

 

He also alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was rattled by recent opinion polls predicting a weak NDA performance in Bihar and may have used the EC “as a toolkit”.

 

He warned that Bihar could become a “laboratory” for similar exercises nationwide targeting deprived sections.