NEW DELHI: The Congress on Tuesday criticized the Election Commission (EC) for failing to disclose how many non-citizens were removed from Bihar’s electoral roll under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise. The party said while much emphasis was placed on the need to purge ineligible voters, the EC has lacked the “integrity or courage” to inform the nation about the actual numbers.
Congress general secretary in-charge of communications, Jairam Ramesh, noted that the Supreme Court hearing on Bihar’s SIR resumes Tuesday. He shared an analysis of the exercise published in a newspaper on X, stating:
“This fine analysis shows that the entire SIR exercise bulldozed through by the Election Commission has failed on all three counts of completeness, equity, and accuracy.”
Ramesh added that if the EC had revealed how many non-citizens were removed from Bihar’s voter list, it would have exposed itself even further.
The SIR exercise has faced sharp opposition criticism, with parties accusing the EC of acting in favor of the ruling BJP—a charge the poll body has rejected. The Commission has maintained that it aims to ensure that no eligible citizen is left out while keeping ineligible voters off the list.
Bihar is set to go to polls in two phases on November 6 and 11, with vote counting scheduled for November 14. The elections will decide the fate of the ruling NDA government led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, facing a challenge from the opposition bloc including the RJD and Congress.
