Opposition flags inadequate time, not intent, of Bihar voter roll revision

New Delhi, July 3 (IANS) The Election Commission of India’s (ECI) decision to conduct a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar has drawn objections from major opposition parties, not over the objective of the exercise, but over the limited time available before the state goes to polls in just three to four months.

Opposition parties - including the Congress, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Samajwadi Party, and the Communist Party of India (CPI) - voiced strong reservations about the feasibility of conducting a comprehensive revision of voter rolls “within such a tight timeframe”, sources said.

The delegation of the INDIA Bloc parties met ECI officials in New Delhi on Wednesday to formally raise these concerns. The parties warned that rushing the process could distort the electoral level playing field, so close to elections.

According to sources, the opposition’s central concern is logistical. They question how an intensive revision, requiring door-to-door verification, new enrolments, and corrections, can be completed accurately and inclusively in the few months left before polling.

The concern, they stress, is not about the ‘principle of revising the rolls’, but about ‘whether it can be done effectively without risking the exclusion of eligible voters or introducing errors under such pressure’.

Importantly, sources pointed out that at no stage did any of the opposition parties, including the Congress, RJD, or the Left, oppose the idea of the SIR itself. The objections of the opposition were narrowly focused on the timing, which they believe could compromise the transparency and inclusiveness of the electoral process.

The ECI has reassured them that the roll revision is being conducted in a phased and well-structured manner. The Commission explained that the process is aimed at maximising voter inclusion and is being planned carefully despite the compressed schedule.

However, the opposition remains unconvinced. With elections in Bihar expected as early as October or November, they argue that attempting a large-scale revision now could overwhelm the system and reduce the exercise to a mere formality rather than a meaningful update.

The message is clear: a revision of electoral rolls is essential, but doing it under severe time constraints risks undermining the very goals it is meant to serve.

--IANS

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