Tejashwi Yadav slams voter list cleanup as pre-poll conspiracy against Bihar’s poor
As Bihar gears up for a critical electoral showdown, a fresh political storm is brewing—not over campaigns, but over voter eligibility itself. RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav has fiercely criticized the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Bihar’s voter list, calling it a pre-planned conspiracy to delete names of the poor, marginalized, and minority communities ahead of elections.
This unexpected move has drawn widespread attention, with opposition parties likening the process to a backdoor implementation of NRC (National Register of Citizens), threatening the electoral rights of lakhs. As over 8 crore voters are being reviewed in just 25 days, Yadav and his allies claim this is an attack on democracy itself.
Voter List Controversy: Why Bihar’s Electoral Roll Is Under Fire
The Election Commission has initiated a massive revision of Bihar’s voter list under its Special Intensive Revision (SIR) program. The process is meant to ensure that all eligible voters are included, and those ineligible are removed. However, the scale and timing of the exercise have raised eyebrows.
प्रधानमंत्री नरेंद्र मोदी ने निर्वाचन आयोग को बिहार की समस्त मतदाता सूची को निरस्त कर केवल 25 दिन में 1987 से पूर्व के कागजी सबूतों के साथ नई मतदाता सूची बनाने का निर्देश दिया है। चुनावी हार की बौखलाहट में ये लोग अब बिहार और बिहारियों से मतदान का अधिकार छीनने का षड्यंत्र कर रहे… pic.twitter.com/AMr2lpXvKo
— Tejashwi Yadav (@yadavtejashwi) June 28, 2025
According to Tejashwi Yadav, it is logistically impossible to fairly revise the voter list for over 8 crore people within just 25 days, especially during the monsoon season, which severely impacts rural accessibility in Bihar. He accused the Modi government of using the EC as a tool to manipulate voter rolls, suppress opposition strongholds, and deny voting rights to people who lack documentation.
The biggest flashpoint? Post-2003 registrants must now prove citizenship using legacy documents like birth certificates or parental proof—criteria similar to the NRC that sparked protests in Assam and other parts of India.
Leaders from Congress, CPI-ML, and other INDIA bloc partners joined Yadav in a joint press conference, calling the exercise an “electoral sabotage” and vowing legal and political resistance.
Election Commission Stands Ground, NDA Blames Opposition for Spreading Panic Narrative
In response to the storm, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar defended the revision as routine and legal, aimed at maintaining an accurate and inclusive voter list. He claimed that around 5 crore voters were already verified during the 2003 revision and now only require simple re-verification.
The EC also stated that booth-level agents and door-to-door volunteers were helping ensure that marginalized voters are not left out. SMS alerts, enumeration forms, and field agents are being used for wide coverage.
On the other side, NDA leaders like Chirag Paswan and Jitan Ram Manjhi rubbished Tejashwi’s claims, branding them as panic tactics to cover for declining public support. According to them, the revision is necessary and no different from EC procedures in other states.
However, fears remain that millions of Bihar’s poor and migrant voters, who often lack documentation, may find their names missing from the final roll—a concern that could impact both welfare delivery and electoral participation.
