Bihar: Election Commission's survey flags presence of foreign nationals with Indian documents in poll-bound Bihar

These sources said these people managed to acquire Indian documents such as Aadhaar cards, domicile certificates, and ration cards, allegedly through unlawful means.

Block Level Officers conducting the survey have identified many such cases, which will be investigated thoroughly from August 1 to August 30.

“If the allegations are proved, the names of these voters will be struck off the voter list,” the sources told NDTV.

The finding is expected to intensify the already heated debate in poll-bound state, Bihar, over the voter roll revision just months before the Assembly election.

Initiated on June 24, the Special Intensive Revision is intended to include eligible citizens in the voter roll and eliminate ineligible names.

The last revision of this scale in Bihar was in 2003.

The Election Commission has said the update is necessary due to various factors, including rapid urbanisation, frequent migration, newly eligible young voters, unreported deaths, and the inclusion of undocumented foreign nationals.

The Opposition has questioned the timing of the exercise, claiming it won’t be concluded before the election.

Parties like the RJD and Congress have alleged that the revision is a deliberate attempt to exclude voters.

The BJP has countered these accusations, questioning the Opposition’s concerns if the goal is to validate genuine voters and remove fake ones.

The issue has reached the Supreme Court, where multiple petitions challenging the revision process have been filed by RJD MP Manoj Jha, the Association for Democratic Reforms, the People’s Union for Civil Liberties, activist Yogendra Yadav, Trinamool MP Mahua Moitra, and former MLA Mujahid Alam.

During Thursday’s hearing, the court raised questions over the timing and the documents being accepted for verification.

When the Election Commission argued that Aadhaar is not proof of citizenship, the court observed that Aadhaar, ration cards, and the Election Commission-issued identity card should be considered valid for re-verifying voters.

The court has not halted the revision but remarked that it had “serious doubts” about the Commission’s ability to complete the process in time for the election without inadvertently excluding legitimate voters or allowing them time to appeal.

“Your exercise is not the problem... it is the timing. We have serious doubts if you can manage this exercise. With such a big population (an estimated eight crore people) being subject to this 'intensive review', is it possible to link this to the forthcoming election?” the court asked. “... a person will be disenfranchised ahead of the election and s/he won't have the time to defend the exclusion before voting,” it said. “There is nothing wrong in this intensive process so non-citizen do not remain on rolls... but it should be de hors (i.e., conducted separately from) this election,” it added.