As Bihar heads towards assembly elections later this year, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has launched a door-to-door voter verification exercise under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process. This routine exercise, designed to weed out fake names, include new voters, and remove the deceased, has triggered an outsized political uproar from opposition parties, who see in it a shadow of the NRC.
How the Verification Works
The process, which began on 25 June and will conclude by 26 July, involves Booth Level Officers (BLOs) visiting homes across Bihar. They’re tasked with verifying voter details against the 2003 list, gathering necessary documents where applicable, and uploading the data via the ECINet app. After completion, an updated voter roll will be published on 30 September.
According to the Commission, around 60% of voters face no additional paperwork—those already on the 2003 list or whose parents were on it simply confirm details. Only newer entries, typically post-2003 migrants or younger voters without such linkage, must provide basic documents like birth certificates.
The ECI says this exercise follows Article 326 of the Constitution and the Representation of the People Act, 1950. With over 7.89 crore voters in Bihar, maintaining accurate rolls is necessary to prevent bogus voting, remove records of the deceased, and keep illegal migrants from influencing polls.
Opposition’s Familiar Complaints
Despite these safeguards, RJD leaders like Tejashwi Yadav called the verification “suspicious and worrying,” alleging a BJP-RSS conspiracy to disenfranchise Dalits, backward, and Muslims. Asaduddin Owaisi described it as a “backdoor NRC,” warning that poor people would be struck off for lacking documents. Sagarika Ghosh of TMC asked how the poor would secure their parents’ birth certificates, while Congress leader Digvijay Singh threatened court action.
Journalist Ravish Kumar echoed RJD MP Manoj Jha’s alarm, questioning if it was possible to verify eight crore voters in one month. The TMC, notably with no real base in Bihar, also found reason to object.
Yet none of these figures have cited any real evidence of voter intimidation or large-scale disenfranchisement underway—only speculation. The process is visibly coordinated, with over 1.5 lakh Booth Level Agents (BLAs) from all parties aiding verification.
NDA’s Straightforward Stand
Meanwhile, the NDA maintains that the process simply cleans up the rolls as required by law. Chirag Paswan stated that removing dead voters or illegal entries strengthens democracy. Former Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi argued that voter lists have as many as 20,000 fake entries in some areas, and verification directly impacts these, which naturally unnerves rivals banking on such votes.
This Isn’t New
The irony? Such verifications have been routine. Bihar underwent a similar intensive exercise in 2002-03, which passed without anyone screaming “NRC.” Prior to that, India has seen door-to-door checks in the 1950s, 60s, 80s, and 90s.
Yet every major election, the opposition dusts off the same playbook: EVMs are rigged, the EC is biased, voter lists are doctored—until, of course, they win. Then these problems vanish. In West Bengal and Tamil Nadu, after opposition victories, all talk of a “compromised EC” evaporated. But when they lose, as in Maharashtra, out come the same charges again, despite repeated rejections by the courts and the Commission.
The Pattern That Can’t Be Ignored
That’s the story in Bihar today. Even if the Election Commission simply does its constitutional job, it is accused of plotting. The opposition knows it. Often they don’t truly believe the allegations—they only care that such narratives might prepare excuses for defeat. This cycle is now so predictable it barely registers surprise.