Home News National ECI Refutes Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge’s False Claims On Bihar Voter List...

ECI Refutes Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge’s False Claims On Bihar Voter List Revision; No Change In Rules, Documents Still Required

By
The Commune
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mallikarjun kharge ec election commission eci fake news bihar election congress voter list

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on 7 July 2025 categorically denied claims made by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge regarding the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar. The ECI described Kharge’s assertions — including that the rules had been changed to allow voter registration without supporting documents as “misleading”.

Kharge had alleged via a post on social media platform X that the BJP, in coordination with the Election Commission, was executing a “master plan” to deprive crores of voters in Bihar especially from marginalized communities of their franchise rights. He claimed that the process had been diluted under pressure and that “now only a form has to be filled” without the need to show any documents. Kharge further accused the BJP of attempting to “crush democracy” by manipulating voter lists ahead of the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections. He wrote, “With the cooperation of the Election Commission, the master plan that BJP had devised to deprive crores of people in Bihar of their voting rights now seems to be ensnaring the BJP itself. From the very first day, the Congress Party has been raising its voice against the Special Intensive Revision of Electoral Rolls (SIR). Why are people who have been voting election after election being asked to show documents for voting? Forcibly depriving the poor, weak, deprived, Dalit, oppressed, and backward people of their voting rights is the very conspiracy of BJP-RSS. Nearly 8 crore people will suffer because of this. The responsibility to correct the voter list lies with the ECI, not the public. When the pressure from the opposition, the public, and Civil Society increased, the Election Commission hurriedly published these advertisements today, which state that now only a form needs to be filled, and showing documents is not necessary. This is part of the BJP’s tactic to mislead and confuse the public. The truth is that the BJP has decided it will crush democracy at all costs. But when faced with public opposition, it cleverly takes a step back. Bihar is the birthplace of democracy. The people of Bihar will surely respond to this BJP attack on democracy and the Constitution in the upcoming elections.”

However, the Election Commission issued a firm rebuttal. “The claim made in this post, that no document is required and only filling the form is sufficient, is misleading,” the ECI stated in a fact-check published on its official X account. There is no change in the instructions. SIR is being conducted as per the orders dated 24.06.2025.”

No Changes to Rules, Documents Still Mandatory

As per the ECI’s official order dated 24 June 2025, voters in Bihar must submit an enumeration form before 25 July 2025, to be included in the draft electoral roll, which is scheduled for publication on 1 August 2025. While supporting documents are not required at the time of form submission, they must still be provided either before 25 July 2025 or during the claims and objections period.

The ECI emphasized that there has been no relaxation of requirements, and the rules remain fully in force. The Commission urged the public to ignore false claims and to rely only on officially published information. “One should be cautious of the statements being made by some people, who are trying to confuse the public with their false and misleading statements, without reading the SIR order,” the Commission stated.

The SIR process, currently underway in Bihar ahead of the state elections, is being carried out with full legal authority. The ECI reported that by the evening of 6 July 2025, over 1.69 crore forms (21.46%) had been collected, and 7.25% had already been uploaded to ECINET. The form distribution phase is nearing completion.

To ensure voter awareness, the EC has deployed over 77,000 Booth Level Officers (BLOs), 4 lakh volunteers, and 1.5 lakh Booth Level Agents (BLAs) nominated by all political parties. The Commission stated that it is constitutionally bound to maintain an accurate and inclusive electoral roll and that the SIR is aimed at identifying both eligible and ineligible voters through proper verification.

(With inputs from News18)

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