Voter Roll Revision Defense

Election Commission Defends Voter Roll Revision Amid Opposition Criticism and Internal Dissent

Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary rejected claims of illegal voter deletions during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), saying names removed belonged to deceased, relocated or untraceable voters or duplicate registrations, and that no deletion challenges were filed. The defense comes amid reports that two Election Commissioners objected to poll-panel decisions at least 14 times, including over voter enrolment and the Form 6 declaration; the Election Commission says final SIR orders were approved unanimously and that differences are part of deliberations. The Commission has eased SIR hearings by allowing Booth Level Officers to collect documents at electors’ homes, expanded support measures and extended deadlines in Delhi and Maharashtra. In Maharashtra, opposition MLA Rohit Pawar alleged irregularities and said the 2.07 crore voters whose enumeration forms were uncollected could rise to nearly three crore; officials attributed uncollected forms to deaths, migration, untraceable voters or duplicate entries. The Form 6 declaration has drawn scrutiny, though the Commission says the form itself was not amended and that applicants must provide their parents’ SIR details. Officials report that 3.27 crore voters aged 18–28 have been added since the SIR began in Bihar in June 2025.

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