[Marxistindia] Special Intensive Revision of Electoral Rolls in Bihar

[news from the cpi(m)]

June 27, 2025

 

Press Release

 

Shri. Nilotpal Basu, member, Polit Bureau of Communist Party of India
(Marxist) has written the following letter today to the Chief Election
Commissioner, regarding the 'Special Intensive Revision' of electoral rolls
in Bihar.

We are herewith releasing the text of the letter for publication.

 

(Muralidharan)

For CPI(M) Central Committee Office

 

Dear Sir,

 

We have in hand, a copy of letter No. 23/2025-ERS (Vol.II) dated June 24,
2025 addressed to the Chief Electoral Officer, Bihar pertaining to the
"Special Intensive Revision" of electoral rolls. 

 

While a review of electoral rolls is a normal and routine process, the
proposals appear to be putting a major part of the responsibility for
inclusion/deletion from the electoral rolls on the basis of which the
elections will take place, is being imposed on the voters themselves.
Additionally, the timing of the exercise is also a cause for concern, being
so close to the actual elections, as the elections to the Bihar Assembly
were conducted in October/November at the time of the last elections. We
find the methodology and procedure adopted objectionable for the following
specific reasons:

 

1.       The ECI should have taken at least the recognised political parties
into confidence and elicited their views before undertaking such an
exercise, rather than convening the meeting to formally inform them of the
launch of the program.

2.       Holding such an extensive exercise just a few months before the
state goes to polls will vitiate the atmosphere and is fraught with dangers.
The time frame for the completion of the entire exercise is just a month. 

3.       Deletion of names of ineligible voters is the responsibility of the
concerned BLOs. The onus of validating one's own legitimate claim as voter
at a given place cannot be imposed upon any ordinary voter, as is being
sought to be done of already enrolled voters.

4.       If the BLO fails to deliver the Enumeration Form to an existing
elector and the said voter is unaware of the process to get the form, his
name will be deleted from the electoral roll. Let alone internet
connectivity and e-literacy, when even ordinary literacy is lacking, how
does the EC expect such voters to download/upload forms. 

5.       Now the insistence on providing proof of residence for all existing
voters will lead to unnecessary harassment of voters, who may not have the
requisite documents. 

6.       The insistence on proof of parents will only complicate matters
further.

7.       This will result in deletion of the names of many genuine voters
who may have migrated temporarily and are not currently available in the
state and who would not be in a position to return before the completion of
this exercise, even while their names are not listed in any electoral roll
elsewhere. 

8.       This entire exercise is similar to the proposed NRC. There are
fears that it may be used to target a certain section of voters leading to
their disenfranchisement. 

 

It has also been brought to our notice that a majority of the political
parties who had attended the meeting convened by the Bihar CEO on June 25,
2025 had opposed this exercise and called for its abandonment. 

 

This proposed exercise in Bihar is causing concern because the ECI has
declared that the same method will be adopted for other impending elections.
We would therefore urge the Election Commission of India to abandon this
exercise.

 

Thanking you,

 

Yours sincerely,

 

 

 

Nilotpal Basu

(Polit Bureau Member)

 

 

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