Bihar’s Vanishing Voters and the Erosion of Democratic Mandate

In the heartland of Indian democracy, Bihar finds itself at a crossroads where the very essence of electoral participation is under siege. The Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, initiated in June 2025, has sparked a storm of controversy, with over 6.5 million voters—nearly 9% of the state’s electorate—facing disenfranchisement. While the Commission claims this exercise is aimed at purifying the rolls by removing deceased, migrated, or duplicate entries, the opaque methodology, abrupt timeline, and exclusionary documentation requirements have raised serious constitutional and political alarms.

The SIR mandates that voters enrolled after 2003 must re-verify their eligibility, often requiring documents that many—especially the poor, migrants, and marginalized—simply do not possess. Aadhaar, ration cards, and even voter ID cards were initially excluded as valid proof, despite being widely accepted across other government schemes. The Supreme Court, while refusing to stay the draft roll’s publication, has warned the Election Commission that it will intervene in case of mass exclusion. Yet, the damage may already be underway. Reports suggest enumeration forms were uploaded without voter consent, and even deceased individuals were marked as verified. The process has been likened to a bureaucratic purge, reminiscent of the infamous “Tuglaki” decrees—arbitrary, top-down, and devoid of public consensus.

This disenfranchisement is not merely a technical glitch; it is a political rupture. Bihar’s political legacy is deeply rooted in the socialist movement, with leaders like Lalu Prasad Yadav and Nitish Kumar rising on the promise of social justice. Lalu’s tenure, though marred by allegations of criminalization, did see the empowerment of OBCs, Dalits, and backward classes through affirmative action and symbolic representation. Nitish Kumar, once hailed as the architect of administrative reform and law-and-order stability, carried forward the mantle with a more technocratic approach. His initiatives—like the liquor ban—were framed as moral and developmental imperatives. But beneath the surface, the prohibition policy has birthed a sprawling underground economy, allegedly patronized by lower-level politicians and shielded by complicit enforcement agencies. The infamous claim that rats consumed seized liquor is emblematic of the absurdity and failure of the policy’s implementation.

The current silence of the Nitish-led government on the SIR controversy is deafening. If the disenfranchisement of millions is not a matter of urgent concern, then what is? The same administration that once championed the rights of the marginalized now appears to be presiding over their exclusion. The political calculus seems clear: a sanitized voter roll, skewed in favor of certain demographics, could tilt the electoral balance. But at what cost? The erosion of trust in democratic institutions, the alienation of vulnerable communities, and the legitimization of exclusionary governance.

Opposition parties, civil society organizations, and legal experts have rightly questioned the timing and intent of the SIR. With elections looming, the revision appears less like a routine update and more like a strategic maneuver. The Supreme Court’s cautious stance—urging the Commission to consider inclusive documents while avoiding judicial overreach—reflects the delicate balance between institutional autonomy and democratic accountability. Yet, history reminds us that silence in the face of injustice is complicity. The disenfranchisement of voters is not just a procedural lapse; it is a democratic betrayal.

Bihar’s electorate deserves clarity, transparency, and respect. The right to vote is not a privilege to be filtered through bureaucratic red tape but a constitutional guarantee. If the state fails to uphold this, it risks not just electoral legitimacy but the very soul of its democratic ethos. The people of Bihar must not be reduced to statistical casualties in a political game. Their voice, their vote, and their dignity must be restored.