Yogendra Yadav
UNDER the guise of the Election Commission’s ‘Special Intensive Revision’, old voter lists are being scrapped and citizenship documents, which many people do not possess, are made mandatory. There is an overriding fear that the names of millions of Indians may be deleted from the voter rolls.
This means the last remaining right in the hands of the poorest — the right to vote — could now be taken away.
First came demonetisation, then lockdowns — is vote banning next?
बिहार में मतदाता सूची विवाद: 9 भ्रांतियाँ और 1 सच्चाई
— Yogendra Yadav (@_YogendraYadav) July 3, 2025
चुनाव आयोग के ‘विशेष गहन पुनरीक्षण’ के नाम पर:
▪️ पुरानी वोटर लिस्ट ख़ारिज
▪️ नागरिकता के दस्तावेज़ अनिवार्य जो बड़ी संख्या में लोगों के पास नहीं है
▪️ करोड़ों भारतीयों के नाम कटने की आशंका
मतलब इस प्रक्रिया से अंतिम… pic.twitter.com/3jTyBWT3zo
There are nine myths in the whole episode, and there is only one bitter truth. All these are enumerated below:
The Election Commission is reviewing and correcting Bihar’s current voter list.
Fact: No, the current voter list in Bihar is not being revised or corrected. A completely new voter list is being prepared.
Such exercises have happened before; nothing new here.
Fact: Untrue. What is happening now has never happened before. A fresh enumeration and door-to-door verification are being carried out before the creation of the new voter list. Previously, voter ID cards were made only after the list had been finalised. This is the first time such verification is being done before elections, and even before voters’ names are recorded.
There was massive fraud in Bihar’s previous voter lists; this step is necessary.
Fact: False again. Before this, the names in the Bihar voter list were added following standard procedures. Though lakhs of new names were added, no major complaints were made. If there had been issues, corrections could have been made within the current framework. Scrapping the list and restarting afresh is an unnecessary overstep.
Those whose names appeared in the 2003 list don’t need to do anything.
Fact: Incorrect. Every citizen will need to fill out the new forms. Only those whose name, parent’s name, and address appear exactly the same in both the 2003 and 2025 lists may be exempt. But even then, one must prove continuity through documents — the 2003 list cannot automatically guarantee citizenship or voting rights.
Proof of citizenship will be sought only from those who are suspected.
Fact: Those not listed in the 2003 voter list will not be granted automatic citizenship.
Anyone born before July 1, 1987, will need to prove only their birth.
Anyone born between July 1, 1987, and December 2, 2004, must prove their birth and show that one parent’s name appeared on the 2003 voter list.
Those born after December 2, 2004, must provide proof of birth for themselves and both parents.
If a parent’s name appears on the 2003 list, a photocopy may suffice, but personal proof of birth is still required.
The Election Commission has specified valid documents — surely everyone has something.
Fact: Not true at all. Most common household documents — like Aadhaar, ration card, voter card, and MGNREGA job card — are not accepted by the Election Commission.
Of the 11 officially accepted documents:
• Only 2.4% of people in Bihar have passports.
• Birth certificates are held by just 2.8%.
• Government employee ID: 5%.
• Caste certificate: 16%.
• Matriculation certificate (10th grade): less than 50%.
The law treats everyone equally. If someone lacks documents, they’ll all be equally affected.
Fact: Absolutely not. In reality, those who are uneducated, poor, women, migrant labourers, Dalits, and rural marginalised groups will be hit the hardest.
This system places an unfair burden of “citizenship proof” on exactly those who lack the resources to fulfill it.
The Election Commission has given three months — there’s enough time.
Fact: Wrong. The actual data collection ends on July 25.
The remaining two months are only for resolving objections.
According to internal confidential documents, the entire household verification and new list preparation must be completed within one month and submitted. Only 20,000 staff have received training for this task — a small fraction. The regular hiring process hasn’t been followed.
Temporary staff and school teachers are being used, most of whom are inexperienced.
The verification will be conducted door-to-door, and voters must visit schools and offices to upload documents.
If a person’s name isn’t verified by July 25, they may not be included in the voter list.
Only foreign Hindus will be allowed to vote.
Fact: No. Anyone with legal residence in Bihar, regardless of religion or nationality — Nepali, Bangladeshi, Hindu or not — can register as a voter.
The real motive appears to be the exclusion of some thousands of marginalised citizens under the guise of including foreign Hindus.
The Final and Bitter Truth:
Bihar’s total population is around 13 crore (130 million). Of this, eight crore are eligible voters.
Only three crore names exist in the 2003 voter list.
This means five crore people will now be required to provide citizenship documents.
Most of them — labourers, women, rural and uneducated groups — don’t possess these documents.
This makes the current drive an exercise in voter disenfranchisement, not just list-making.
Instead of ensuring inclusive voting rights, the Election Commission is preparing for mass exclusion.
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Yogendra Yadav is a noted activist, psephologist, and politician. He wrote this article for Navodaya Times in Hindi. Mohammed Talha Siddi Bapa translated it into English for Clarion India
