Owaisi labels revision of voter list in Bihar as "backdoor NRC"

New Delhi [India], July 9 (ANI): All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Wednesday labelled the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise being carried out by the Election Commission of India (ECI) in Bihar ahead of the upcoming assembly polls as "backdoor NRC (National Register of Citizens)".
He said that the "intensive revision" of the voter list in Bihar serves to "disempower the poorest people and paves the way for their exclusion from citizenship".
"The Bihar backdoor NRC serves two clear purposes: it disempowers the poorest people of Bihar and paves the way for their exclusion from citizenship. In this country, voting is the only real power the poor have. That right cannot be snatched away just because someone doesn't have a specific document," Owaisi posted on X.
He stated that the next step for those who fail to produce the required documents would be the denial of basic citizenship rights, including ration cards and the right to own agricultural land. The AIMIM chief stated that the "intensive revision" happening now casts doubts on all previous voter registrations and elections that the ECI oversaw earlier.
"Once someone is removed from the electoral rolls for not being able to produce documents, the next step is predictable: they will be denied basic citizenship rights--ration cards, passports, the right to own agricultural land. Such individuals will be left vulnerable to blackmail and extortion," Owaisi said.
"By launching this so-called 'Intensive Revision,' the Election Commission of India (ECI) is casting doubt on all previous voter registrations and elections that it itself oversaw. Every *Special Summary Revision* is supposed to weed out duplicate or false entries and strengthen the integrity of the rolls. The last 'Intensive Revision' in Bihar was in 2003--just before the 2004 Lok Sabha and 2005 Vidhan Sabha elections," he added.
Owaisi questioned the powers prescribed to the Booth Level Officers in deciding the citizenship of people. Citing the Supreme Court's judgment on the Babu Lal Hussein case, the AIMIM chief criticised the arbitrary powers being given to Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and Assistant EROs.
"Booth Level Officers (BLOs) are not senior administrators; their duties are narrowly defined. And yet, they are now being tasked with deciding who is a citizen! BLOs are confused about their responsibilities, ill-equipped to help voters, and unprotected when attempting to do their jobs fairly. Similarly, Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and Assistant EROs are being given arbitrary powers to doubt the citizenship of individuals--powers they do not legally possess. The Supreme Court's Babu Lal Hussein judgment made it clear: genuine evidence is required to question a person's citizenship," he added.
Owaisi stated that voters whose names appeared on the electoral rolls after the "Special Summary Revision" on January 7 can't be forced to undergo the process again, as it would be in violation of the Representation of the People Act (RPA) and its rules.
"Electors who do not submit Enumeration Forms will be excluded from the draft roll and will be required to file Form 6 along with additional declarations. This is fundamentally flawed. Voters whose names appeared on the electoral rolls after the *Special Summary Revision* (as of January 7, 2025) cannot be forced to undergo the process all over again, nor should they face unreasonable consequences for failing to submit this new form. This violates the Representation of the People Act (RPA) and its associated rules," he said.
"Why has the ECI chosen only these 11 documents, many of which are not even available to a majority of Biharis? Why was there no public consultation or engagement with political parties before this drastic move? Public consultation is standard practice for the ECI before major changes are introduced," he added.
Owaisi further criticised the ECI for failing to consider the population in Bihar that lives outside the state and returns to cast their votes. He also said that the current SIR exercise suggests "poor planning and afterthought", given that the constitutional body was "monitoring and updating the electoral rolls" even as recently as June 2025.
"Even as recently as June 2025, the Commission was actively monitoring and updating the electoral rolls. There was no indication at the time that a State-wide Intensive Revision (SIR) was under consideration. This abrupt change suggests poor planning and afterthought," Owaisi said.
"The ECI has also failed to consider that a large number of eligible voters from Bihar may currently be outside their home districts or constituencies for work or study. It is entirely common for such voters to return home during election periods to cast their vote. This "verification" process, conducted in their absence, unfairly penalises them," he added.
Intensifying his critique, Owaisi flagged the issue of multiple amendments to ECI's notification, claiming that the goal was to create panic among the poorest of the poor, who he said were being forced to prove their citizenship.
"The ECI is treating our citizenship and voting rights like a do-it-yourself project. It has amended its own notification multiple times--first requiring documents, then exempting certain groups, now saying a form must be filled, but documents aren't necessary. Clearly, the notification came first; the planning came later. The goal was simple: to create panic among the poorest of the poor. People already struggling to feed their children are now being forced to pause their lives and dig up decades-old documents to prove they are not foreigners," the AIMIM chief said.
"This entire process reflects a complete non-application of mind and worse, mala fide--on the part of the Election Commission," he added.
As tensions rise over the ongoing Bihar Bandh and debates surrounding voter list revisions, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has taken a significant step to reaffirm constitutional principles.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has posted an image on its 'X' account highlighting Article 326 of the Constitution of India, which mandates universal adult suffrage, ensuring every Indian citizen above 18 years of age can vote unless disqualified.
The provision, introduced in 1989 to lower the voting age from 21, underscores India's commitment to broader democratic participation.
"Article 326 - Elections to the House of the People and to the Legislative Assemblies of States to be on the basis of adult suffrage. The elections to the House of the People and the Legislative Assembly of every State shall be on the basis of adult suffrage, that is to say, every person who is a citizen of India and who is not less than eighteen years of age on such date as may be fixed in that behalf by or under any law made by the appropriate Legislature and is not otherwise disqualified under this Constitution or any law made by the appropriate Legislature on the ground of non-residence, unsoundness of mind, crime or corrupt or illegal practice, shall be entitled to be registered as a voter at any such election," posted by ECI on X. (ANI)