New Delhi, July 8 (H.S.): A new petition has been filed in the Supreme Court by BJP leader Ashwini Upadhyay, challenging the special intensive revision (SIR) of the voter list in Bihar and advocating for its implementation nationwide. The petition asserts that the government and the Election Commission must ensure only genuine citizens can vote, citing illegal immigration and significant population changes as major concerns. The Supreme Court plans to hear related petitions on July 10.

Lawyers representing various petitioners have requested an expedited hearing, emphasizing that voters in Bihar lacking documentation risk removal from the voter list—a process involving around eight crore voters deemed unmanageable. The tight deadline necessitates document submission by July 2, beyond which voters may be disenfranchised. Several political parties and organizations, including the Rashtriya Janata Dal and Trinamool Congress, have also petitioned against the Election Commission’s decision. They claim it violates multiple constitutional articles and voter registration rules, arguing it could undermine free and fair elections and disenfranchise millions.

The timeline of the order is criticized for being unreasonably short, especially for a state with high poverty and significant segments of the population lacking required documentation, such as birth certificates. The last significant revision in Bihar occurred in 2003, leaving many citizens without representation in the current voter list. This legal challenge highlights the intersection of voter registration, citizenship legitimacy, and the complexities surrounding electoral processes in the context of ongoing demographic changes in the state.

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar