A new move by the Election Commission of India (ECI) has set off a heated political debate in Bihar. The Commission has launched a month-long revision of the state’s electoral rolls, requiring all voters to prove their Indian citizenship with self-attested documents showing their date and place of birth, along with similar proof from their parents. The exercise, which began on June 26 and will run till July 26, is being described by officials as necessary to remove ineligible names, especially of illegal immigrants. However, many critics see it as an unnecessary and discriminatory process.
According to the EC’s new directive, Booth Level Officers (BLOs) will go door to door to verify documents submitted by voters. These officers will help citizens fill out an enumeration form, which must be supported by valid documents. Those born before July 1, 1987, will need to provide one document from a list of approved records such as birth certificates, old government-issued IDs, or land allotment papers. Those born between July 1, 1987, and December 2, 2004, will have to submit proof of their own and their parents’ birth details.
Voters born outside India must submit a copy of their passport and visa from the time of birth. Accepted documents include identity cards, pension orders, school certificates, passports, and residence certificates issued by competent authorities. If these documents are not available, voters may face the risk of being excluded from the electoral roll.
The move has faced sharp criticism from Bihar’s opposition parties. The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation have strongly opposed the revision. RJD leader Chittaranjan Gagan said that lakhs of people in Bihar do not have documents to prove their or their parents’ date and place of birth. He claimed that this move could lead to the disenfranchisement of many genuine citizens and called it a conspiracy to suppress votes.
CPI-ML leader Dipankar Bhattacharya went further and likened the move to a mini-National Register of Citizens (NRC). He said that the task was too large to be completed in just one month and warned that it might spread fear among voters. He also criticized the EC for taking such a major step without proper planning or discussion with the public.
The EC, however, has defended its decision. Officials said that rapid urbanization, internal migration, and illegal immigration have made it necessary to clean up the voter list. They also clarified that this is part of a broader national effort to ensure only genuine citizens are allowed to vote.
News agency PTI reported that similar revisions are being planned in five more states — Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal — where elections are due in 2026. If this model is followed nationwide, it could reshape how voter verification is handled in the future.
Despite the EC’s assurances, many observers worry that this process might exclude poor and rural voters who lack access to proper documents. Others fear that the process could be misused to target certain communities. Critics have urged the Commission to adopt a more inclusive and citizen-friendly approach that does not punish people for documentation gaps.
As the deadline nears, the debate continues. Is this a step toward cleaner elections or a bureaucratic hurdle that risks denying voting rights to millions? For now, Bihar finds itself at the center of a critical test of how India defines and verifies citizenship in the world’s largest democracy.
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
