Bihar Polls | RJD moves Supreme Court over Election Commission's electoral roll revision

RJD MP Manoj Jha has challenged the Election Commission's (EC) controversial Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the Supreme Court ahead of the Bihar assembly polls. 

The Commission directed the immediate implementation of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list across Bihar, a few months before the assembly elections.

What is Special Intensive Revision?

In an attempt to weed out ineligible names and ensure only eligible citizens are included in the electoral rolls, the EC introduced the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar on June 24. 

EC mentioned that while voters were required to "submit their documents anytime before July 25, 2025", those who failed to do so would get an opportunity "during the Claims & Objections period also".

As per the commission, the exercise was necessitated by rapid urbanisation, frequent migration, young citizens becoming eligible to vote, non-reporting of deaths, and inclusion of the names of foreign illegal immigrants.

The opposition in Bihar raised objections to the EC's move, and netizens flooded social media with posts about the revision. 

TMC MP Mahua Moitra alleged that ECI's order for Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar was intended to deprive the bonafide young electorate from voting in this year's polling, and the panel's next target would be West Bengal. 

AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge alleged that the SIR was a "conspiracy by BJP-RSS to snatch away the voting rights of Dalits and other deprived sections".

India