Bihar’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise has uncovered that nearly 35 lakh electors are either untraceable or have permanently migrated from their registered addresses, raising fresh concern over the integrity of electoral rolls as the Election Commission of India moves ahead with a nationwide revision.
The scale of missing electors in Bihar has reignited questions about the accuracy of India’s voter lists, especially ahead of the General Elections.
Political parties across the spectrum have frequently voiced doubts about the purity of the rolls, alleging the inclusion of ineligible voters and questioning additions made during recent assembly polls.
According to analysts, the inability to trace such a large number of electors despite the Commission’s elaborate verification machinery highlights systemic weaknesses in the upkeep of voter rolls.
Many have warned that the national Special Intensive Revision may reveal similar discrepancies elsewhere in the country.
The Election Commission of India announced its decision to extend the Special Intensive Revision nationwide through a June 24 order, stating it was necessary for the Commission to “discharge its constitutional mandate to protect the integrity of electoral rolls.”
The schedule for the exercise across other states is expected soon. Under the current framework in Bihar, electors and political parties have from August 1 to September 1 to submit prescribed forms to Electoral Registration Officers to add any eligible voters who have been left out or to file objections.
Data on illegal migration has added another layer to the debate on electoral roll accuracy.
The Ministry of Home Affairs had estimated in 2016 that around 2.04 crore Bangladeshi nationals and over 40,000 Rohingya immigrants are living illegally in India, mainly in states such as Jammu and Kashmir, Telangana, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Rajasthan.
The Ministry has admitted that due to the clandestine nature of illegal entry without valid documents, keeping exact figures remains a challenge.
While detection and deportation continue as an ongoing process, the Ministry’s 2017 data showed the persistent presence of illegal migrants could affect the integrity of the voter lists.
As of January 1, 2024, India’s electoral roll stood at 96.88 crore registered voters. With the Election Commission’s upcoming national revision, the potential implications of large numbers of untraced or ineligible voters have become a fresh point of concern for stakeholders ahead of the next election cycle.
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