Amid Backlash, ECI Walks Back on ‘Illegal Immigrant’ Mention in Bihar SIR

ECI revises Bihar SIR strategy, focusing on eligible citizens, amid controversy over foreign immigrants.

Bihar Voter Roll Overhaul Sees Shifting Deadlines, Softeners in ECI Messaging

The Quint/ Aroop Mishra

Amid controversy over the implementation of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, the Election Commission of India (ECI) seems to have pivoted, for now, to how it wants this exercise to be perceived among the masses. The poll body is attempting to be seen as non-exclusionary, even as it stated that Booth Level Officers (BLOs) in Bihar found people from Bangladesh, Nepal, and Myanmar countries during house-to-house surveys, and that their names shall not be included in the final electoral roll after inquiry.

The Commission has not provided any details on the number of “foreign illegal immigrants” or the locations where they were found in Bihar. An ECI spokesperson said: “No details yet.” How the Commission will proceed with its strategies is yet to be seen, however, it has tweaked instructions elsewhere to avoid sparking controversy.

The Commission removed any mention of the inclusion of “foreign illegal immigrants” from press releases issued after 24 June — the day it announced the Bihar SIR — and has also toned down the language of instructions.

The emphasis is now on the inclusion of “eligible people,” avoiding mention of “ineligible people,” as seen in a PowerPoint presentation (PPT) titled “Training on SIR, 2026” shared among officials in states as to how the ECI would proceed with subsequent SIRs.

Importantly, the duration for conducting the exercise has also been expanded—around six months, twice the time allotted in Bihar.

“Thus, while preparing [the] electoral roll, the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) shall ensure that all eligible citizens are included and no such eligible citizen is excluded from the electoral roll. Rapid urbanization and frequent migration of population have led to increased possibility of repeated entries in the electoral roll. Thus, the situation warrants an intensive verification drive to verify each person before enrolment as an elector,” stated the extract from the “Training on SIR, 2026” PPT.

Election Commission Shifts Focus to 'Eligible Voters' in Revised SIR Strategy

Interestingly, the above extract marks a departure from the instructions issued on 24 June for the Bihar SIR: “...ERO of each assembly constituency shall be responsible for ensuring that no eligible citizen is left out while no ineligible person is included in the electoral roll.” The ECI's press release dated June 24 also mentioned the “inclusion of foreign illegal immigrants” as one of the reasons for conducting the Bihar SIR. This reference was absent from the PPT and later press releases.

An official from one of the states, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: “It has been decided that the revision will take place in five and a half months. Training of the BLOs has been ongoing, however, it will be officially confirmed only when the ECI announces it.”  

Meanwhile, on the ongoing Bihar SIR, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar said last week: “Pure electoral rolls are inevitable for strengthening democracy.”

Inclusion Over Exclusion? ECI’s Changing Vocabulary in Voter Verification

The instructions for the Bihar SIR stated that the entire electoral roll comprising 7.79 crore electors has been divided into two parts. Those listed in the 2003 electoral roll — when the last intensive revision took place — do not need to provide any documents, as the roll itself is considered a “probative evidence of citizenship.”

However, those not listed in the 2003 roll must submit a document from an indicative list of 11, such as a birth certificate or matriculation certificate, as proof of “establishing date of birth and/or place of birth.” The categorisation is as follows: individuals born before 1 July 1987, must submit a document for themselves; those born between 1 July 1987, and 2 December 2004, must provide documents for themselves and one parent; and individuals born after 2 December 2004, must submit documents for themselves and both parents. The cut-off dates mirror the cut off dates of acquiring citizenship by birth as per the Indian Citizenship Act.

“Electors whose parents’ names were on the Electoral Roll as of 01.01.2003, need not submit any additional documents relating to their parents,” the Commission said in a press release dated 3 July.

Bihar SIR and the Document Story

In its press release dated 12 July, the Commission stated that 80.11 percent of Bihar’s electors have already submitted their enumeration forms. “...[It] means 4 out of every 5 electors in Bihar have submitted the enumeration forms. With this pace, the majority of enumeration forms are likely to be collected much before 25 July 2025 [the final date of submitting enumeration forms]…In order to get their names included in the draft electoral rolls to be published on 1 August, electors have to submit their enumeration forms preferably, along with eligibility documents. In case, any elector needs more time to submit the eligibility documents, he can submit them separately till 30 August i.e. the last date of filing claims and objections and take help of volunteers as well.”

This last sentence quoted above marks a shift from what was explicitly said in ECI’s first set of instructions issued on 24 July. Nowhere did the initial instructions state explicitly that enumeration forms could be submitted without eligibility documents — a list that includes a passport, birth certificate, among others, to prove citizenship. However, the Commission did mention that the names of electors, who don’t submit forms by 25 July, would be struck off the draft roll.

ECI Modifies Voter Roll Rules Post-Bihar SIR, Removes 'Illegal Immigrants' Language

Four days later, sources in the Commission had informed this reporter that there was an option to submit forms without documentary proof at the draft stage—this was an exclusive report by this reporter on 29 June. The Commission’s press release dated 4 July echoed this where ECI explicitly said "documents attached or not attached". It said: “Based on the documents attached or not attached, with the signed Enumeration Form, eligibility verification of each name included in the draft rolls will be done continuously after their receipt.”

However, a day earlier on 3 July, the ECI had said: “In the third phase of the exercise the completed enumeration forms will be collected by the BLOs along with the self- attested documents and also will upload the data through the BLO App/ECINET on a daily basis.”

On 6 July the Commission tweaked the language slightly, saying: “The electors can submit their documents any time before 25 July 2025. After publication of draft electoral rolls, if any document is deficient, EROs can obtain such documents, from the electors whose name appears in the draft electoral rolls, during scrutiny in the Claims and Objection period.”

Then, on July 8, the Commission again offered a slightly different version: “A large number of prospective electors are preferring to submit the Enumeration Forms along with the eligibility documents as specified in SIR order dated 24 June 2025. Now, the effort is to collect the remaining half of the enumeration forms and eligibility documents with still 17 more days before 25 July.”

Cut to July 14. The ECI's press release said that 88.18 percent of electors have either already submitted their EF or died or retained their names at one place or permanently shifted out of their previous place of residence. "Only 11.82 percent of electors now remain to submit their filled EFs and many of them have sought time to submit their enumeration forms with documents in the coming days," the release said. 

Deadlines, Documents, and Democracy: The Shifting Story of Bihar’s Voter Roll Overhaul

All eyes on future SIRs

The reporter spoke to officials from two states who confirmed, on condition of anonymity, that they have been asked to be prepared. The PPT of one of the states stated that each elector must submit an enumeration form along with requisite information and “self-attested documents” to the BLO. It added that the BLO would then submit “all the collected enumeration forms along with its documents” to the concerned Electoral Registration Officer or Assistant Electoral Registration Officer for record purposes.

While this gives clarity that documents are to be submitted along with the forms, it also gives clarity that the ERO must verify the citizenship of the said person.

The PPT further states: “...ERO may verify with the related documents which are available with him on record subject to his/her satisfaction towards the citizenship of the applicant.”

The Supreme Court Thursday (10 July 2025) heard a batch of petitions challenging the ECI’s 24 June 2025 order to conduct the SIR of the electoral roll in Bihar, a few months before the assembly polls are due by year-end. The apex court did not restrain ECI from proceeding with the SIR, however urged the poll body  to permit the use of Aadhaar, ration cards, and Electoral Photo Identity Cards or EPIC as valid documents for voter identity verification. The SC said that in case the ECI wants to discard these documents, it needs to give reasons to satisfy the petitioners. The next date of hearing is on 28 July.

(Abhishek Angad is a journalist with over a decade of experience, known for deep dive investigations and ground reportage. He has been covering ECI and previously worked for The Indian Express as a state correspondent in Jharkhand.)