THE CONTEXT: The Election Commission of India (ECI) ordered a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Bihar’s electoral rolls on 24 June 2025, citing large-scale migration and suspected duplication. The draft roll will be published on 1 August, barely eight weeks before the 2025 Assembly elections. Field verification has already marked about 35.69 lakh electors (≈4.5 percent of the 7.9 crore electorate) as “untraceable”.
CONSTITUTIONAL AND STATUTORY FRAME:
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- Article 324 vests “superintendence, direction and control” of elections in the ECI.
- Article 325 bars discrimination in roll-making on grounds of religion, race or caste.
- Article 326 guarantees universal adult suffrage.
- Representation of the People Act 1950, Section 21 permits annual summary revisions and, “for reasons to be recorded”, special revisions.
DESIGN OF THE BIHAR SIR 2025:
| STEP | TIMELINE | SALIENT RULE |
|---|---|---|
| House-to-house verification | 25 June – 15 July | Booth Level Officers visit each address thrice. |
| Draft roll publication | 1 August | Names flagged “untraceable” are likely to be deleted. |
| Claims & objections window | 1 – 30 August | Voter must file fresh Form-6 with documentary proof. |
| Eleven accepted documents | Passport, caste certificate, matriculation mark-sheet, pension order, etc. | |
| Excluded IDs | Aadhaar, Ration Card, Driving Licence, even ECI-issued Electors Photo Identity Card (EPIC). |
COMPARATIVE LENS AND PAST PRECEDENTS:
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- Bihar 2003 intensive revision accepted any government-issued photo ID and did not demand re-application from post-2003 voters.
- Assam National Register of Citizens (NRC 2019) showed that mass documentary exercises risk wrongful exclusion of poor and migrant groups.
- Most States rely on annual summary revision plus continuous updating instead of time-compressed special drives during election year.
STAKEHOLDER IMPACT AUDIT:
| GROUP MOST AT RISK | WHY THE CURRENT DESIGN HURTS |
|---|---|
| Seasonal migrant labour (15 percent of Bihar’s workforce) | Usually away during July–August, miss claims window. |
| Mahadalit settlements and landless women | Lack property papers or matriculation certificates. |
| Urban slum dwellers in Patna, Gaya | Frequent address change, no updated utility bills. |
| Elderly or illiterate citizens | Limited digital literacy to upload forms on ECI Net App. |
CORE ISSUES AND CONSTITUTIONAL CONCERNS:
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- Procedural fairness: Eight-week window is too short for door-to-door verification across 72,000 polling stations.
- Equality test (Article 14): Distinction between pre-2003 and post-2003 voters is arbitrary; exclusion of EPIC defies logic.
- Proportionality: The objective (roll purity) is legitimate, but the means (mass re-verification) impose a heavier burden than necessary, especially on marginal groups.
- Right to be informed: Many flagged voters learn of deletion only after draft roll, undermining “right to notice” affirmed in Supreme Court rulings such as Resurgence India v ECI (2013).
EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE AND OFFICIAL DATA:
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- 69 lakh electors marked “untraceable”: 12.56 lakh presumed dead, 17.37 lakh shifted, 5.76 lakh duplicate.
- 54 lakh households yet to return enumeration forms.
- Supreme Court on 10 July urged ECI to “also consider” Aadhaar, EPIC and Ration Card while examining claims.
- Court set 21 July for ECI counter-affidavit; next hearing 28 July, close to draft-roll date.
GOVERNMENT AND ECI RESPONSIBILITIES:
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- Presumption of inclusion: Administrative errors in earlier enrolments cannot be off-loaded onto voters.
- Public notice duty: Gram Sabha loudspeaker announcements, SMS alerts and vernacular newspaper ads must precede deletions.
- Grievance redress: Each Booth Level Officer must issue an acknowledgement for documents received, trackable on the ECI portal.
THE WAY FORWARD:
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- Accept EPIC as primary proof, cross-check later. The EPIC is photo-linked to the same database; immediate acceptance prevents wrongful deletion while upholding integrity.
- Open weekend and late-evening camps in migrant hubs. Extends access for workers who return home only briefly, raising claims turnout without extra cost.
- Deploy Gram Sabha social audit. Place tentative deletion lists on Panchayat notice boards for seven days, letting neighbours attest a voter’s presence or death.
- Auto-generate SMS alerts. Any name flagged “untraceable” triggers a multilingual text to the linked mobile number, expanding notice reach.
- Single-window e-form with assisted kiosks. Common Service Centres can scan and upload forms, reducing travel and photocopy costs for rural women and elderly.
- Door-step verification for vulnerable groups. Direct BLOs to conduct a second verification in habitations where female literacy is below the State average of 62 percent.
- Rostered political-party observers. Each major party may post an agent at verification camps, enhancing transparency and bipartisanship.
- Real-time deletion dashboard. District-wise daily figures published on CEO Bihar website; civil society can flag anomalies early.
- Link to Civil Registration System. Death certificates auto-update the roll monthly, allowing future deletions without mass drives.
- Legislative clarity on document list. Amend the Registration of Electors Rules 1960 to specify a broad, technology-neutral set of IDs, insulating inclusion norms from frequent executive tweaks.
THE CONCLUSION:
Universal adult franchise was India’s founding leap of faith. Updating voter lists is necessary, but method matters. The Supreme Court now has a narrow window to ensure that administrative zeal does not eclipse constitutional egalitarianism. The guiding maxim should be simple: err on the side of inclusion, verify without victimising.
UPSC PAST YEAR QUESTION:
Q. Discuss the role of the Election Commission of India in the light of the evolution of the Model Code of Conduct. 2022
MAINS PRACTICE QUESTION:
Q. Electoral roll purification must balance administrative accuracy with the constitutional promise of universal adult suffrage. Examine in context of 2025 Special Intensive Revision in Bihar.
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