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EYE ON INDIA AUGUST 08, 2025 | The Indian Eye 6

Bihar Voter Roll Dispute

Exposes Deepening Trust Deficit in

India’s Electoral Institutions

The INDIA bloc’s explosive allegations over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Bihar raise urgent

questions about electoral transparency, institutional credibility, and the stakes of 2025’s political battles

OUR BUREAU
New Delhi
ew Delhi’s political atmosphere turned
electric this week as opposition leaders
Nfrom the INDIA bloc — including Rahul
Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra — launched
a fierce protest against the Election Commission’s
Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls in
poll-bound Bihar. What began as a parliamentary
disruption has now turned into a full-blown con-
frontation, with allegations of vote fraud, misuse of
institutions, and outright treason.
On Friday morning, MPs from the Congress
and other INDIA bloc parties gathered in front of
Parliament’s iconic Makar Dwar, holding banners
that read “SIR: War on Democracy”. The protest
was visibly charged, with Priyanka Gandhi flanked
by her mother Sonia Gandhi, in a rare public show
of unity. The Opposition’s demand? An immediate
discussion on what they claim is a covert attempt by
the ruling BJP to manipulate voter data ahead of
Bihar’s crucial elections.
The timing of the protest was no coincidence.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) was set
to release the draft electoral rolls of Bihar on the
same day. The INDIA bloc claims that the SIR pro- Congress President and Rajya Sabha LoP, Mallikarjun Kharge with party MP Priyanka Gandhi during the INDIA bloc MPs protest against
cess, which includes the verification and revision of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, at Parliament premises in New Delhi on Friday (ANI Photo/Rahul Singh)
voter lists, is being manipulated to disenfranchise
voters who are likely to oppose the ruling party.
Speaking to reporters outside Parliament, Ra- line shows a shackled official labelled “EC” hold- ward Russia. Though his motion was dismissed, it
hul Gandhi dropped a political bombshell: “We ing what looks like an Electronic Voting Machine underscored the multifaceted challenges facing the
have open-and-shut proof that the Election Com- and saying “YES SIR,” — a stinging visual critique government.
mission is involved in vote theft. And I’m not say- of what the INDIA bloc views as the Commission’s For now, the INDIA bloc has made it clear this
ing this lightly — I’m speaking with 100% proof.” subservience to the central government. is just the beginning. Following a strategy meeting
He called the findings of the Congress-led investi- In Parliament, chaos reigned. As soon as the on Thursday, the alliance unanimously resolved to
gation into the SIR “an atom bomb,” hinting that Houses convened, sloganeering broke out. The escalate protests both inside and outside Parlia-
the revelations could “shake the very foundation” Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla attempted to main- ment. Their unified message: the SIR is not admin-
of the Election Commission. tain order but adjourned the House within min- istrative housekeeping — it is political engineering.
He went even further, accusing individuals utes, saying, “You are not representing the public Whether the Election Commission responds,
within the ECI of engaging in actions “no less than by sloganeering. If we want to strengthen democ- or whether the Supreme Court intervenes, remains
treason.” Gandhi warned that all those complicit racy, issues must be raised properly.” The Rajya to be seen. But what is undeniable is that the SIR
— from senior officers to junior officials, active or Sabha too was adjourned for the day, with Deputy controversy has added fuel to an already heated
retired — would be held accountable. “Wherever Chairman Harivansh citing the subjudice nature election year. With Bihar being a critical battle-
you are, we will find you,” he declared. of the matter, as the SIR issue is currently being ground state, how this plays out could well influ-
The allegations have put the Election Com- heard in the Supreme Court. ence the tone — and trust — in Indian democracy
mission in an unprecedented spotlight. While the Meanwhile, AAP MP Sanjay Singh added an- for months to come.
ECI has maintained that the SIR is a routine part other dimension to the political chaos by filing a And as the INDIA bloc warns of more pro-
of voter roll maintenance, the intensity and coor- Suspension of Business motion in the Rajya Sabha tests, leaks, and possibly explosive revelations, one
dination of the Opposition’s response have raised — not on the SIR, but on U.S. tariffs on Indian thing is clear: the battle for Bihar’s voter list may
the stakes dramatically. goods. Singh linked the economic fallout to stra- well be the opening salvo in a much bigger fight
A controversial cartoon doing the rounds on- tegic missteps, including India’s foreign policy to- over India’s democratic future.

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