New Delhi [India], July 22: Members of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc staged a protest in Parliament on Tuesday against the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, alleging that the exercise is aimed at taking away people’s voting rights.
Congress MP K Suresh stated that the government was not allowing the Opposition to raise this “crucial issue” in either the Lok Sabha or the Rajya Sabha. Suresh said, “The issue is coming before the Supreme Court on July 28. Election Commission is not ready to stop the SIR process. Today we raised the issue in both houses. The government is not allowing us to raise this issue in the houses…All parties of the INDIA alliance staged a protest at Makar Dwar of Parliament.”
Leaders from various INDIA bloc parties, including Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, participated in the protest at Makar Dwar, holding placards that condemned the revision exercise with slogans like “stealing of Indian Rights” and “death of democracy.”
The issue of Bihar SIR has become a major point of contention, with Opposition MPs repeatedly demanding a discussion in Parliament. Both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha were adjourned earlier in the day following uproar over various issues, including the Bihar SIR. Opposition leaders had moved adjournment motion notices in both houses to discuss the matter.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has initiated a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, with July 1, 2025, as the qualifying date. This exercise aims to update the voter list by including all eligible citizens and removing ineligible or duplicate entries. Under the SIR, a house-to-house verification is being conducted by Booth Level Officers (BLOs), and electors are required to submit enumeration forms, often with supporting documents for citizenship and residency.
The Opposition’s concerns largely stem from the requirement for citizens to re-submit documents, with allegations that this could disproportionately affect marginalized, illiterate, and migrant workers who may struggle to furnish the required proofs within the given deadline. There are also concerns about the limited list of acceptable documents for verification. The Supreme Court is set to hear a petition challenging the SIR on July 28.
The Election Commission, however, has maintained that the SIR is proceeding smoothly, with 96.23 per cent of electors covered in Bihar so far. The EC stated that 5.56 per cent of electors were not found at their addresses, and details of these electors have been shared with political parties for transparency. The ECI has defended its authority to seek proof of citizenship during the SIR and has told the Supreme Court that citizenship would not be terminated if an individual is found ineligible for voter registration. The ECI also argued against accepting Aadhaar, voter ID, and ration cards as standalone proofs of eligibility, citing concerns over their reliability for verifying citizenship under Article 326 of the Constitution.