The Indian National Congress (INC) has launched a fierce allegation on the Election Commission of India (ECI) over the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, claiming that 89 lakh complaints filed by its Booth Level Agents (BLAs) were arbitrarily rejected. The party alleges that these deletions cast a serious shadow over the neutrality of the EC and has demanded a complete re-verification of deleted names through door-to-door surveys. Moreover, the party also claims that it has “receipts” of these complaints filed by its Booth Level Agents (BLAs) with the Commission.
While the Chief Electoral Office, Bihar categorically denied receiving any formal claims or objections in the prescribed formats, the Congress asserted it has stamped receipts from District Electoral Officers as proof of submission—indicating a sharp contradiction between the two versions.
Congress filed 89 lakh complaints on Bihar SIR with the Election Commission, but all were rejected, says Pawan Khera
At a press conference in Patna on August 31, senior Congress leader and head of the party’s media and publicity department, Pawan Khera — accompanied by Bihar Congress president Rajesh Ram and senior leaders Akhilesh Prasad and Shakeel Ahmad alleged that the EC keeps getting news planted through its sources that no complaints are coming from any political party.
“The truth is that the Congress submitted 89 lakh complaints pertaining to irregularities in the SIR to the EC”, he said
Names deleted, but no process followed: Congress
Khera detailed the scale and categories of deletions:
- 25 lakh names struck off for alleged migration
- 22 lakh marked as deceased
- 9.7 lakh missing at their registered addresses
- 7 lakh names removed for being registered elsewhere
The Congress contended that while errors and migration are valid reasons for cleanup, the patterns of deletion were deeply suspicious, especially since a large proportion of women voters were removed under the migrant category—an unexpected finding given that it is mostly men who migrate for work.
All the deleted names would have to be verified again: Congress
Addressing media alongside Bihar Congress president Rajesh Ram, Khera said despite blatant resistance from the ECI to the complaints, district Congress committee presidents secured the signed and stamped receipts from the District Electoral Officers.
He said “The ECI refused to accept complaints and objections from the booth-level agents, saying the complaints should be from the individual complainants and not from political parties.”
Khera further presented statistics that, according to the Congress, highlight a possible targeted purge as;
- 20,638 booths saw over 100 deletions
- 1,988 booths had over 200 names removed
- 7,613 booths reported deletion of 70% women voters
- In 635 booths, over 75% of migrant deletions were women
- In 7,931 booths, 75% of deletions were marked as deceased
He noted that in several instances, voters who were allegedly declared dead had met Rahul Gandhi recently during his visit to Bihar.
The ECI keeps getting news planted through its sources that no complaints are coming from any political party: Congress
Khera reiterated at the briefing that “We also have their receipts, and now this fact cannot be denied. We hope that the data we have provided will be verified by the EC, and an investigation conducted into that. There is a need for door-to-door verification again to correct these mistakes.”
Duplicate voter IDs and systemic gaps
In addition to deletions, Khera flagged multiple instances where single voters had received two EPIC (Elector Photo Identity Card) numbers, suggesting possible duplication that could distort the final roll.
He also accused the EC of adopting a rigid and opaque stance by refusing to accept complaints from political entities and demanding they be submitted by individuals—a rule, he argued, that goes against the spirit of transparent and participatory democracy.
EC had a pre-determined agenda: Congress
Bihar Congress president Rajesh Ram alleged that the EC approached the exercise with a pre-conditioned mind-set, already anticipating a 20% deletion rate due to migration even before the review began.
“This suggests that the ECI was operating with a pre-conditioned mind-set. The irony lies in the fact that most of the voters whose names have been deleted from the electoral rolls do not even know about it,” he said.
No valid claims or objections filed by Congress BLAs: Bihar CEO rebuts allegations
In a strongly worded rebuttal to the Congress party’s claims, the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Bihar replied that no Booth Level Agent (BLA) authorised by any District Congress Committee (DCC) president has submitted valid claims or objections regarding entries in the draft electoral rolls. Citing the absence of prescribed documentation, the CEO’s office stated that “Till date, no BLA authorised by any district president of the INC in Bihar has submitted any claim (Form 6) or objection (Form 7).”
Link: https://x.com/CEOBihar/status/1962141479318798475
Objections must follow due procedure: Bihar CEO
The CEO’s office said that objections must adhere to the Election Commission’s established procedures under the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960. Specifically, the CEO emphasised that objection to deletion of any name… may be given only in Form 7, or Booth Level Agents… may give the affidavit in the prescribed form along with declaration as per Section 31 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950.
Furthermore, referencing the Supreme Court interim order dated August 22, 2025, the CEO mentioned that “Any incorrect information in the draft voter list should be submitted… in the prescribed format to the concerned Electoral Registration Officer.”
89 lakh names, need proper oath and format — CEO on mass deletion demand
Addressing the INC’s claim that 89 lakh irregularities were flagged, the CEO’s office questioned the legitimacy of such a large-scale deletion request. While District Congress Committee (DCC) presidents recently sent letters demanding deletions, the CEO noted that the objections given by the Presidents of the District Congress Committee are not in the prescribed form.
These are being forwarded for consideration, but the CEO added that “Before initiating the process of deletion of names of about 89 lakh voters… the Electoral Registration Officer will take an appropriate decision… after taking such oath as may be prescribed, at his discretion, under Rule 20(3)(b).”
However, the demand for a complete re-verification of deleted names—especially women and marginalised groups—has now become a rallying cry for the Congress, while the EC insists that proper procedures exist and are being followed.
Related:
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Bihar SIR: New elector applications doubled in just 2 days, showing a 96.6% increase
The Stolen Franchise: Why the Election Commission cannot escape accountability