Amid opposition of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Bihar ahead of Assembly polls, Booth Level Officers (BLOs) have found a large number of people from Nepal, Bangladesh and Myanmar possessing Indian documents like Aadhaar, domicile certificates and ration cards. This came to light during the house visit of BLOs to distribute and collect Enumeration Forms from those who have been registered as voters till June 24 this year. Bihar has around 7.89 crore voters.
These findings have prompted scrutiny, with officials confirming that after proper enquiry, their names will not be included in the final list to be published on 30th September 2025. The development is likely to stoke further the raging debate in the poll-bound State over the ongoing revision of voter rolls months ahead of the Assembly election.
According to sources, these people managed to obtain Indian documents such as Aadhaar, domicile certificates and ration cards in their name, apparently through illegal channels.
BLOs going house to house for the survey have identified many such individuals, and these cases will be probed in detail between August 1 and August 30. If the allegations are proved, the names of these voters will be struck off the voter list, the sources said. However, sources have not provided any figure for the number of such voters found in electoral rolls.
BJP IT Cell head Amit Malviya launched an attack on Opposition parties, alleging that they were attempting to include foreign nationals in the electoral rolls to build their “vote bank.” Malviya wrote, “The voter list in Bihar has been found to include names of foreign citizens from countries like Bangladesh, Myanmar, and Nepal. This revelation came during the Special Intensive Revision.” Malviya further alleged tha the RJD, Congress, Leftists, and their drum-beating journalists turned YouTubers, NGOs, and so-called legal activists were continuously pressuring poll body to include such names in the list.
In Patna, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav rubbished claims that the EC’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists for Bihar elections revealed names of people from Bangladesh, Nepal, and Myanmar. He questioned the credibility of sources making such claims, likening them to rumors about Islamabad, Karachi, and Lahore being captured. “Who are these sources? These are the same sources that said that Islamabad, Karachi, and Lahore have been captured. ‘Ye sootra ko hum mootra samajhte hai’ (We consider these sources to be nonsense),” Yadav said.
Yadav emphasised that SIR was last conducted in 2003 under the UPA Government, and since then, multiple elections have taken place, including in 2014, 2019, and 2024, where the opposition lost by a margin of three to four lakhs.
He questioned whether this implies that foreigners voted for Prime Minister Modi.
He cast doubts over the SIR of electoral rolls in Bihar was progressing at a brisk pace and would be completed before the July 25 deadline. Addressing a press conference here, Yadav took strong exception to the EC’s “silence” on the Supreme Court’s suggestion that Aadhar card and ration card be included in the list of acceptable documents, to be submitted by voters whose names did not figure in the electoral rolls of 2003 when SIR was last conducted.
“We would like to know from the EC how many such migrants have been covered under the exercise. It is well known that during the elections, a large number of people return to their home State to cast their votes. During the COVID-19 pandemic, several special trains had to be run for an estimated 40 lakh returnees. The EC should disclose what arrangements were made this time,” the former deputy chief minister said. The EC seems to be playing with figures to give a false impression that it has been undertaking this exercise competently, he alleged.
“In its tearing hurry to meet the July 25 deadline, the EC came up with an advertisement proclaiming that those unable to submit their documents may just deposit their forms, leaving the remaining things for the claims/objections stage. But there was no official notification to this effect and the BLOs are confused,” claimed the chairman of the INDIA bloc’s coordination committee for the State Assembly polls due later this year.
According to the timeline for the SIR, voters can submit their Enumeration Forms with documents proving their citizenship and date of birth till July 25. If someone cannot provide documents by July 25, they have the option of submitting the documents by August 30, the last date of filing claims and objections. To get included in the draft roll to be published on August 1, one has to submit the Enumeration Form. Those submitting the Enumeration Forms without documents will have to submit the same by August 30 to get included in the final list.
The issue of inclusion of foreigners in the voter list has been raised by a number of political parties. In the Delhi assembly elections, held earlier this year, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accused the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) of “patronising” illegal Rohingya and Bangladeshi migrants in the national capital, claiming their presence is affecting the electoral process. The AAP had accused the BJP of deleting names of “those living in unauthorised colonies”. The BJP had made similar remarks for West Bengal as well.