Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision Aims to Purify Bihar's Voter Rolls

The Election Commission of India defends its Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in Bihar as a measure to remove ineligible voters. The SIR process is designed to uphold election integrity, reflecting legal standards on voter qualifications. Despite concerns, Aadhaar, voter, and ration cards are used for identity verification.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has defended its ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, asserting it purifies elections by eliminating ineligible voters.

In response to a challenge against the June 24 order for a pan-India electoral roll revision starting in Bihar, the ECI's affidavit clarified its stance. Despite legal apprehensions, Aadhaar, voter, and ration cards are already used for identity verification during the SIR-2025 exercise.

The ECI emphasized that the SIR ensures only eligible voters, defined under various legal provisions, remain on the electoral rolls. As of July 18, enumeration forms had been collected from 90.12% of Bihar's 7.9 crore electors, covering 94.68% after accounting for exclusions.