No change in instructions for SIR in Bihar: EC after advertisement leads to confusion

The Election Commission on Sunday asserted that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar was “being implemented smoothly at the ground level” and “there is no change in instructions”.

The EC on June 24 issued instructions to carry out an SIR in Bihar, apparently to weed out ineligible names and ensure only eligible citizens are included in the electoral roll.

In a statement here, the EC made it clear that while voters were required to “submit their documents any time before July 25”, those who failed to do so would get an opportunity “during the Claims & Objections period also”.

The EC also urged people to “beware of statements being made by a few persons, who without reading the SIR order dated 24 June 2025.... are attempting to confuse the public with their incorrect and misleading statements”.

The clarification comes in the wake of several social media posts, including one by AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge, about an EC advertisement published in a newspaper claiming “now only forms are to be filled. There is no need to submit documents”.

Alleging that the SIR was a “conspiracy by BJP-RSS to snatch away the voting rights of Dalits and other deprived sections”, Kharge had said that the BJP, which ruled the Centre and shared power in Bihar, “is now getting trapped in its own master plan”.

Echoing Kharge’s post on X, Bihar Congress president Rajesh Kumar alleged at a press conference: “The ad exposes the incompetence of the EC and gives rise to doubts of unethical help extended to the ruling party”.

Assembly polls are due in Bihar in a couple of months, and the EC exercise, which seeks to cover nearly eight crore voters by July 25, has become a major bone of contention in the state.

Leader of the opposition in the state Assembly, Tejashwi Yadav, has questioned why, unlike the previous revision which took place in 2003 across the country, the current exercise was being carried out only in Bihar.

INDIA bloc leaders have also held parleys with EC officials in New Delhi and Patna to share their anxieties. However, the BJP-led NDA defended the exercise, accusing the opposition of trying to come up with an “excuse ahead of a certain defeat in elections”.

In the backdrop of the controversy arising out of the advertisement, the office of the state Chief Electoral Officer said on Sunday: “SIR in Bihar is progressing as per ECI’s order dated 24 June 2025. As per that order, the draft electoral rolls that will be issued on August 1 will contain the names of the existing electors whose enumeration forms are received.”

“All measures are being taken to facilitate the existing electors to complete the documentation. These existing voters will have time to submit the documents even after first submitting their Enumeration Forms. All activities are exactly as per ECI’s order dated 24.06.2025,” said the CEO in another post.

Shortly afterwards, EC sources were quoted in another, more strongly worded statement, shared by the poll panel in its WhatsApp group.

The statement said, “SIR in Bihar is being implemented smoothly at the ground level. SIR is being conducted as per instructions dated 24.06.2025 only, and there is no change in the instructions”.

According to the EC, 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 poll panel said that with the exercise, it wants to ensure the integrity and preparation of error-free electoral rolls.