'Pure electoral rolls are inevitable for...': EC defends Bihar voter verification as protests mount

The Election Commission on Wednesday defended its ongoing special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, calling the exercise essential to a transparent electoral process, even as opposition protests intensified across the state alleging disenfranchisement of vulnerable voters ahead of assembly polls.

Pure electoral rolls are inevitable for strengthening democracy, the commission said, adding that the participation of the electors of Bihar has resulted in the successful collection of more than 57% of Enumeration forms in ongoing Bihar SIR till today with still 16 days remaining.

"The Election Commission of India was, is and will always be with the electors of India," CEC Gyanesh Kumar said as per news agency ANI.

The statement came as the INDIA bloc held a major protest in Patna, led by Rahul Gandhi, Tejashwi Yadav, and senior leaders of the CPI, CPI(M), and CPI(ML), who marched to the Election Commission office in the state capital. The leaders alleged that the SIR could “disenfranchise a substantial number of voters” and was being used to "benefit" the ruling NDA.

Addressing the gathering outside the Vidhan Sabha, Gandhi said, “The EC, comprising persons nominated by the BJP, is serving the party in power and not the people.” He alleged that the EC was trying to “replicate the Maharashtra model” in Bihar, where he claimed voter list manipulation helped the BJP secure a surprise victory in the assembly elections.

While no major clashes were reported in Patna, several districts witnessed disruptions. In Muzaffarpur, Arwal, Jehanabad, and Darbhanga, demonstrators blocked roads and rail traffic, burning tyres at key junctions. In Purnea, Independent MP and Congress ally Rajesh Ranjan, also known as Pappu Yadav, alleged: "The EC has hatched a conspiracy to deprive people, mostly Dalits and other vulnerable sections, of their voting rights."

A massive traffic jam brought the Mahatma Gandhi Setu to a standstill as burning tyres blocked both light and heavy vehicles early in the day. The opposition also linked its Bihar mobilisation to the nationwide ‘chakka jam’ called against the four labour codes, amplifying its charge that institutions were being manipulated to erode constitutional protections.

The BJP, on the other hand, has maintained that the voter verification drive is necessary in areas like Seemanchal, where it alleges large numbers of “illegal immigrants” have been accommodated by rival parties for electoral gains.

The EC has not responded directly to the charge of bias but pointed to the active participation of voters and procedural transparency of the SIR process, which remains underway.