RJD MP Manoj Jha has moved the Supreme Court against the ECI’s Bihar voter list revision, alleging mass disenfranchisement of marginalised groups. He called the rushed process exclusionary and a threat to democracy.
New Delhi: Today, on July 7, the Election Commission of India (ECI) is facing heavy criticism from Opposition leaders over its ongoing revision of the voter list in Bihar.
The process, known as the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), has become controversial especially as the state prepares for assembly elections later this year.
Former Chief Election Commissioner S.Y. Quraishi had earlier described the voter list process as the “real soft underbelly” of the ECI.
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Now, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MP Manoj Jha has approached the Supreme Court, alleging that the new process is leading to the removal of large numbers of voters, especially from marginalised communities.
The Supreme Court will soon hear five petitions, including those filed by Manoj Jha, Mahua Moitra, Yogendra Yadav, and the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR).
The petitions challenge the legality and timing of the voter list revision and claim it is being done in a rushed and non-transparent way.
This is the first such intensive voter revision drive in Bihar since 2003. Mr. Jha told NDTV that this entire exercise feels like a threat to democracy.
He said,
“This is a dark spell for democracy,”
He further questioned the sudden urgency of the process, saying,
“Why was this exercise not undertaken in the last 22 years? What consultations were held with political parties? Did the ECI conduct any feasibility study?”
He criticised the lack of public and political discussion around the process, adding that many Biharis work in other states and may not be able to verify their voter details during the monsoon season.
Mr. Jha said,
“Are you assuming a Bihari working in Surat is a voter of Surat? I got my Delhi voter identity card only after 15 years, despite holding a Bihar voter card throughout,”
According to the ECI, forms were distributed to 87 per cent of voters, but only 14.18 per cent had submitted them by July 5. This raised serious concerns about possible mass disenfranchisement.
Mr. Jha argued that the process is flawed and unfair, especially since commonly held documents like Aadhaar and ration cards are not being accepted as valid ID proofs.
He added,
“In the monsoon season, with massive migration and widespread documentation issues, this is an exclusionary and non-inclusive process,”
citing rural regions like Seemanchal and Nalanda as examples.
The ADR has warned that nearly three crore voters — particularly from Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and migrant groups — may not have the documents required for this verification.
Mr. Jha rejected the ECI’s claim of transparency and criticised its lack of engagement with opposition voices.
He said,
“It’s a monologue, not a dialogue,”
Mr. Jha also pointed out that the timeline for completing this revision — just 25 days — is unrealistic and dangerous for voter rights.
He warned,
“With only four-five volunteers per booth, has the ECI checked their backgrounds? In elections where margins are 4,000-5,000 votes, even a few deletions can change the outcome,”
He also recalled issues with postal ballots in the 2020 Bihar elections that remain unresolved.
To make the process more inclusive, the RJD has suggested allowing Aadhaar cards as valid proof and giving more time for verification.
Mr. Jha stressed that the Supreme Court, in its 1995 ruling in Lal Babu Hussein vs Electoral Registration Officer, had clarified that
“the burden of proving citizenship lies with the State.”
He also alleged that the timing of the SIR, during the difficult monsoon season and only months after a previous voter list revision, seems politically motivated.
He asked,
“The ECI claims it’s including young voters and removing ghost voters or illegal migrants, but where’s the evidence? Why rush this in 25 days unless there’s a pre-verified list with official stamps?”
Adding that people are losing faith in the ECI, Mr. Jha remarked:
“The ECI must hold a press conference and satisfy public concerns. Speaking through unnamed ‘sources’ is not what a constitutional body does.”
His petition seeks to stop the SIR process altogether. He is hopeful that the Supreme Court will intervene.
He added,
“Will the ECI provide train tickets for migrants? At least reserve sleeper class? There’s a complete lack of understanding of ground realities,”
Mr. Jha also touched upon the recent murder of businessman Gopal Khemka, criticising the Bihar government’s failure to maintain law and order.
He said,
“This was not an isolated incident. Hardly a day passes without reports of dacoity, murder, or rape in Bihar. This is more than a breakdown of law and order – it’s a collapse of governance,”
He questioned the role of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and the central government.
He asked,
“Are BJP and Nitish Kumar partners in governance or partners in crime?”
calling for stronger police accountability and faster judicial processes.
He concluded,
“Today, instead of the rule of law, we are seeing the rule of criminals in Bihar,”
Commenting on the increasing communal polarisation, Mr. Jha criticised the recent calls for a “Hindu Rashtra” made by some public figures.
He said,
“Plurality is the foundation of our existence, of [BR] Ambedkar’s vision. Communal polarisation goes against the spirit of the Constitution. We must not give legitimacy to such divisive agendas,”
He urged people to focus on real issues such as unemployment and healthcare instead of divisive religious rhetoric.
He also condemned incidents of violence related to language and cultural identity, such as the assault on a shopkeeper in Maharashtra for not speaking Marathi.
He said,
“Those unaware of history should remember the suffering of the 1960s. It was through dialogue that we emerged from that phase, but now we’re going backwards, fighting over language, religion, food habits, and imagined threats,”
According to Mr. Jha, languages should be seen as a way to bring people together.
He said,
“Languages are a bond of sisterhood,”
stressing that these cultural links are kept alive by the people and not the government. He also criticised the state for its weak response in such cases.
“The state’s lenient response – detaining and quickly bailing out perpetrators – reflects a troubling political silence.”
In conclusion, Mr. Jha said the RJD will keep fighting in court to stop the SIR and save the democratic rights of voters in Bihar.
He said,
“Disenfranchisement on this scale can seriously damage democracy,”
He urged the ECI to act with more openness and responsibility, and demanded better governance and law enforcement from the Bihar government.
He warned,
“Our country cannot afford to regress,”
underlining the importance of unity and constitutional values in these difficult times.
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