Current affairs 25th July By Right IAS
Electoral Roll Revision & Voter Disenfranchisement in Bihar (2025)
Background of the Issue: The Election Commission of India (ECI) is conducting a Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in Bihar (ending August 1, 2025). Over 12 lakh (1.2 million) names have been deleted from the voter list. Many deletions are due to “non residency” people were not present at their home address during verification.
Law vs. Reality
The Representation of the People Act, 1950 assumes people live where they are born. This was true in 1950 when most people lived in rural areas and didn’t migrate. But now, over 45 crore (450 million) Indians are internal migrants about 37% of the population. In Bihar, 36% of households have at least one migrant member.
Key Problem: Citizenship vs. Residency Citizenship = permanent legal status (you are Indian or not). Residency = where you live currently. Voter rolls are based on where you live (residency), not just your citizenship. Migrants live in two places home village and work city but get excluded from both. ECI’s Role and Limitations ECI is sticking to rules instead of trying new ways to include more voters. It can’t change the law, but it can push for reform and try pilot projects to help migrants vote. Just following procedure isn’t enough when the system itself excludes lakhs of citizens. Global Examples – Better Practices USA: Absentee and mail-in ballots allow people to vote from outside their home state.
Philippines: Overseas workers can vote through absentee ballots (60%+ turnout). Australia: Sends mobile polling booths to remote and mobile populations (90%+ turnout).
Voter Awareness Problems Most people don’t know they can claim or object during voter list corrections. In Bihar, 60% of voters are unaware of this process. Among migrants, only 25% know about their rights. Blaming voters for not taking action is unfair, given these awareness and access gaps. Final Message The ECI must defend fair elections but also demand better laws for the mobile population. Political parties must stop using voter issues for politics and instead help people register
