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Tejashwi's RJD moves Supreme Court challenging EC's Bihar electoral roll revision
Rashtriya Janata Dal has challenged the election commission's move, which came just months ahead of assembly polls in Bihar.
Tejashwi Yadav's party Rashtriya Janata Dal, which is in opposition in Bihar, has approached the Supreme Court to challenge the election commission's move of conducting ‘Special Intensive Revision’ (SIR) of voters in the state. The poll body's move came just months ahead of Bihar assembly polls, which are scheduled for later this year.
On behalf of RJD, its Member of Parliament Manoj Jha has challenged Election Commission of India's (ECI) move in the Supreme Court, reported ANI.
Earlier today, the election commission had asserted that there is “no change” in instructions about the implementation of the special intensive revision of electoral rolls in Bihar. It added that the exercise is being done “smoothly at the ground level”.
Almost two weeks back, on June 24, the election body had issued the instructions of carrying out an SIR in Bihar, in a bid to weed out ineligible voters from the electoral roll.
The exercise aims to cover as many as eight crore voters by July 25. However, it has become a major flashpoint between the opposition parties and the election commission in the state.
Tejashwi Yadav, who is the leader of the opposition in Bihar state assembly, questioned why the exercise was being carried out only in Bihar, while the previous such revision happened in 2003 across the entire country.
Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge also criticised the move and said it was a “conspiracy by BJP-RSS to snatch away the voting rights of Dalits and other deprived sections”.
What Bihar's Chief Electoral Officer said
Amid the controversy sparked by the special intensive revision of electoral rolls, Bihar's Chief Electoral Officer said in a post on X that the exercise was progressing in state as per the ECI's order.
“SIR in Bihar is progressing as per ECI’s order dated 24 June 2025. As per that order, the draft electoral rolls that will be issued on 1 August 2025 will contain the names of the existing electors whose enumeration forms are received,” the officer said in a post on X.
"All measures are being taken to facilitate the existing electors to complete the documentation. These existing voters will have time to submit the documents even after first submitting their Enumeration Forms. All activities are exactly as per ECI’s order dated 24.06.2025," read a follow-up post.
Mahua Moitra also moves Supreme Court
Trinamool Congress leader and MP Mahua Moitra alleged on Sunday that the ECI's electoral rolls revision exercise meant to prevent bonafide young electorate from casting their vote in this year Bihar assembly polls. She added that the poll body's next target would be West Bengal because of which, she has also approached the top court to challenge the move.
"They (EC) have now introduced it to deprive the bonafide young electorate of Bihar, where elections are slated to be held shortly. Later, they will target Bengal, where elections are due in 2026," Moitra told PTI.
"Leaders of different opposition parties have also voiced concern over the move and asked EC not to go ahead with it. We have now moved the Supreme Court to intervene in the issue," she added.
With inputs from PTI, ANI
