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Ahead of the critical November elections in Bihar, updated voter lists have sparked controversy due to incorrect photos, deceased voters still registered, and missing entries.
India’s Election Commission conducted a “Special Intensive Revision” (SIR) from June 25 to July 26, verifying 78.9 million registered voters across the state. For the first time since 2003, the commission removed 6.5 million names—2.2 million of them deceased, 700,000 duplicate registrations, and 3.6 million people who migrated out of Bihar.
The new draft list includes 72.4 million voters. Citizens have until Sept. 1 to request corrections, with over 165,000 requests received so far.
Opposition parties accuse the process of targeting Muslim voters, especially in four border districts, alleging that millions were unfairly removed. The ruling BJP, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and the Election Commission deny these claims.
The commission told the BBC it is committed to ensuring no voter loses their rights and dismissed the allegations as baseless. However, it has not released detailed lists or data by religion.
BBC reporters observed serious errors in villages around Patna. In Danara village, many residents said they were unaware of the revision process and that no officials had visited their homes.
In Kharika village, farmer and retired teacher Tarkeshwar Singh reported his family’s names paired with wrong photos, deceased relatives still listed, and some people registered twice. Singh called the exercise “a waste of government resources and billions of rupees.”
Civil society group ADR filed a petition in the Supreme Court, arguing the rushed process would harm poor and migrant workers who cannot quickly access the required documents. The court warned it may halt the revision if wrongful removals are proven.
Opposition party RJD accused local officials of failing to contact voters properly, claiming election manipulation. BJP and its ally JD(U) described the complaints as political and insisted that cleaning duplicate entries was necessary.
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