Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi

New Delhi, Jul 10: The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Wednesday defended its ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in Bihar, pushing back against fierce opposition criticism that it is a covert move to exclude legitimate voters ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections.

In a social media post on X, the ECI cited Article 326 of the Constitution, which guarantees universal adult suffrage, to justify the exercise. The post underlined that every Indian citizen, aged 21 or above and not disqualified under law, has the right to be registered as a voter.

The move came amid mounting pressure from the opposition, with the Mahagathbandhan alliance—comprising the Congress, RJD, and Left parties—accusing the ECI of orchestrating voter suppression, especially targeting marginalised and minority communities.

Responding to the ECI’s post, Congress chief spokesperson Pawan Khera invoked B.R. Ambedkar’s vision for electoral fairness. He reposted a quote from Ambedkar stressing the need for a centralised, impartial election body to ensure democratic rights are upheld for all citizens, particularly minorities.

The war of words on social media coincided with a statewide Bihar Bandh, led by senior INDIA bloc leaders including Rahul Gandhi and Tejashwi Yadav, who marched through the streets of Patna accusing the ECI of acting under political pressure.

The opposition has warned that the timing of the voter list revision and the documentation burden on voters could lead to the mass deletion of names, ahead of a crucial election in one of India’s most politically significant states.

While the ECI maintains that the SIR is a standard procedure to ensure clean electoral rolls, opposition parties continue to call it a calculated move to skew the playing field in favour of the ruling party.