A shocking revelation has been revealed during the ongoing Voter Verification – SIR campaign in Bihar. According to sources, ‘large number of’ foreign nationals of Nepal, Bangladesh and Myanmar have been found residing in Bihar polling list. The investigation has started after this revelation. Officials have confirmed that after proper verification, such names after August 1 will not be included in the final voter list to be published on 30 September 2025.
Voter verification campaign and controversy
The SIR campaign was launched on 25 June after the Election Commission of India (ECI) issued on 24 June. Its main objective is to remove ineligible names from the voter list and ensure that only Indian citizens are involved in it. The campaign will run till 26 July. Initially, ECI made it mandatory for all voters to submit an identity card with citizenship proof.
Currently, over 77,000 booth level officers (BLO), in association with government employees and political parties, are verifying the identity of more than 7.8 crore registered voters in Bihar. Both existing and potential voters are being asked to show documents that prove their Indian citizenship.
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Opposition opposition and BJP allegations
The opposition is strongly opposing this campaign. BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya has launched a scathing attack on opposition parties. He alleged that the RJD, Congress, leftist and their supporters are constantly pressurizing the Election Commission to include such foreign names in the list, so that they can form their ‘vote bank’. Malaviya said, ‘The names of foreign nationals of countries like Bangladesh, Myanmar and Nepal have been found to be included in Bihar’s voter list. This was revealed during the special intensive revision campaign.
Earlier, the Supreme Court had heard several petitions challenging the SIR of voter lists by the Election Commission in Bihar before the assembly elections to be held this year. The petitioners included Mahua Moitra of Trinamool Congress, Manoj Kumar Jha of RJD, KC Venugopal of Congress and Supriya Sule of Nationalist Congress Party (SP).
The apex court allowed the Election Commission to continue the SIR, but also said that during the verification process, 11 documents listed by the Central Election Body as well as widely prevalent documents such as Aadhaar, voter ID card and ration cards should be considered. Later, the Election Commission clarified that these documents are part of the documentation process, but do not prove to be eligible for voting.
The Election Commission has also announced that the same process will be started in West Bengal, Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry soon after Bihar, as the assembly will end in these states by May next year and elections are likely to be announced by March or April.