Voter Deletion in Bihar Raises Serious Concerns. Advocate Irshad Ahmad

“Advocate Irshad Ahmad, in a press briefing, expressed deep concern over the recent report published in the Times of India dated July 17, 2025, which stated that nearly 35.7 lakh voters in Bihar were not found at their registered addresses during the electoral roll verification conducted by the Election Commission of India.The Commission has classified these voters as either deceased, permanently migrated, or voting from elsewhere. While this exercise is being described as an effort to “cleanse” the electoral rolls, the sheer number of voters marked ineligible without adequate transparency raises serious doubts over the fairness and thoroughness of the process.

Advocate Irshad Ahmad emphasized that hard to believe that Booth Level Officers (BLOs) visited the addresses of over 35.7 lakh voters not once but three times, and yet found no one available in each case. Given the socio-economic conditions of Bihar, where many people live in rented accommodations, migrate temporarily for work, or may be unable to respond to official visits due to health, work, or awareness issues, the basis for such mass deletion appears highly questionable. If such a vast number of citizens have been dropped from the voter list, it demands independent scrutiny and public accountability.

The Election Commission has shared data on how many voters were found missing, but it has failed to disclose equally important information: how many new voters—particularly boys and girls who turned 18 in the last two years—have been added to the electoral rolls. While the system is quick to eliminate old or unverified names, it seems no parallel effort has been made to include first-time voters, especially from rural areas, urban slums, and marginalized communities. This imbalance threatens the integrity of the electoral roll and violates the spirit of universal adul franchise.

Advocate Irshad ahmad said there is no data shared on whether specific awareness campaigns were run for new voter registration in schools, colleges, and educational institutions, or in migrant labour colonies, hostels, and informal settlements. The absence of information regarding enrollment camps in such critical areas shows a lack of inclusivity in the process.

Advocate Irshad ahmad said, moreover, no details have been shared on the composition of voters removed in terms of age group, gender, economic status, or community representation. In a democracy, mass removal of voters must never happen silently or without proper safeguards. At the very least, the Commission must ensure that all those whose names are being removed are given a fair opportunity to prove their eligibility.

In view of the above, Advocate Irshad Ahmad urge the Election Commission of India to immediately publish ward-wise and category-wise data of newly added voters, to reverify those 35.7 lakh names through a transparent and accountable process, and to ensure that no eligible citizen is deprived of their fundamental right to vote simply due to temporary migration, administrative error, or lack of documentation.

The right to vote is not just a procedural formality, it is the foundation of a functioning democracy. The process adopted in Bihar must reflect that seriousness.