With the 2025 Bihar elections on the horizon, political tensions are rising. The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list is a major point of contention. The RJD, along with most India alliance partners, are questioning the process and preparing to protest the Election Commission. The opposition is vocal within and outside Parliament.
Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition, has alleged election fraud, citing a case study from a Lok Sabha constituency in Karnataka. The Congress has previously voiced concerns about the Election Commission, particularly after the Maharashtra Assembly elections, where they claimed millions of voters were improperly added. The central question is whether Congress plans to implement the strategies from Karnataka and Maharashtra in Bihar and how successful that might be.
First, let’s examine the voter list situation in Bihar. How many voters have been removed and what is the Election Commission’s stance on their inclusion? The Election Commission has completed the first phase of SIR for the state’s electoral rolls. Out of 7.89 crore voters, over 7.24 crore participated in the process, running from June 24 to July 25, 2025. The draft electoral roll will exclude roughly 65 lakh voters. These include 22 lakh deceased voters, 36 lakh voters who either permanently moved out of state or cannot be located, and 7 lakh voters registered elsewhere.
Following the release of SIR data, opposition parties have raised concerns. They allege that the local election machinery in Bihar could be influenced to favor the ruling BJP-JD(U) alliance. The Election Commission responded by stating that the draft electoral roll for Bihar voters would be published on August 1. All 38 district election officers will provide physical and digital copies to all political parties. Political parties and voters have until September 1 to request additions or deletions.
Despite the Election Commission’s statement, the India alliance plans to continue protesting the SIR. A march to the Election Commission headquarters is planned for the coming week. A meeting of the India alliance was held on Thursday, attended by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, and other leaders.
Rahul Gandhi has alleged manipulation of the voter lists in Karnataka, particularly during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. He has claimed to have found substantial irregularities. He has said that the voter lists given on paper cannot be analyzed. He used digital format to study the Election Commission’s operation.
Gandhi has said that “elections are being stolen in the country, and this is the reality,” referencing issues in both Maharashtra and Karnataka. Congress announced an August 5 protest to expose the alleged election rigging. KC Venugopal has stated that the protest will highlight the addition of fraudulent voters and the removal of eligible voters, which raises serious concerns about the integrity of the electoral process.
Rahul Gandhi has alleged that the Election Commission cheated in Maharashtra by adding voters illegally and that the number of registered voters exceeded the state’s population. He showed that the votes of Congress, Shiv Sena-UBT, and NCP (SP) were consistent across Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, suggesting election rigging.
Rahul Gandhi states that the Congress has accused the election commission of manipulating voter lists during the revision. He made similar accusations in the Maharashtra election. The impact of the Congress strategy on the ruling BJP-JD(U) will be closely observed.