Foreign Nationals with Indian Documents Found in Bihar Voter List: EC Survey Triggers Political Storm Ahead of Elections

Patna: A door-to-door survey conducted as part of the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) drive in Bihar has flagged the presence of several foreign nationals—originally from Nepal, Bangladesh, and Myanmar—who allegedly possess Indian identity documents such as Aadhaar cards, domicile certificates, and ration cards, NDTV reported quoting sources in the Commission.

The revelations have sparked a fresh controversy just months ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections, with political parties clashing over the intent and timing of the revision exercise.

According to EC insiders, Block Level Officers (BLOs) engaged in the ongoing verification have identified a significant number of questionable entries. A detailed investigation into these cases is scheduled between August 1 and August 30, and any individual found to have obtained documents illegally may be removed from the electoral roll.

“If these claims are validated, the names will be struck off the voter list,” EC sources said.

The SIR exercise, launched on June 24, is aimed at updating Bihar’s voter lists by enrolling eligible voters and removing fraudulent or ineligible names—a process not carried out at this scale since 2003. The EC cited reasons like rapid urbanisation, large-scale migration, an influx of first-time voters, unreported deaths, and the presence of undocumented foreign nationals as key factors necessitating the revision.

However, the move has drawn criticism from Opposition parties. The RJD and Congress have questioned the timing, alleging that the revision is a calculated attempt to disenfranchise certain voter groups before elections.

“This is nothing but an effort to selectively drop names from the list under the pretext of cleaning it up,” an RJD spokesperson said.

In response, the BJP defended the EC’s actions, stating that the revision is essential to ensure only genuine citizens vote. “If the Opposition is so concerned about illegal voters being removed, what are they afraid of?” a BJP leader countered.

The issue has now landed in the Supreme Court, with petitions filed by RJD MP Manoj Jha, the Association for Democratic Reforms, PUCL, activist Yogendra Yadav, TMC MP Mahua Moitra, and former MLA Mujahid Alam. The petitioners have challenged both the timing and the methodology of the revision drive.

During Thursday’s hearing, the apex court expressed concern over the feasibility of completing the intensive review process ahead of the polls. It questioned the EC’s reliance on documents like Aadhaar, ration cards, and voter ID cards for re-verification, noting that while Aadhaar is not proof of citizenship, it is still being used as a validation tool.

“Your exercise is not the issue, the timing is,” the court remarked. “We have serious doubts whether this process can be executed in time without inadvertently disenfranchising genuine voters. A person may lose their voting right and not get a chance to appeal.”

While refusing to halt the revision process, the court stressed that such a large-scale review—affecting over eight crore people—should ideally be conducted independently of the upcoming elections.

“There is nothing wrong in removing non-citizens from electoral rolls,” the court said, “but this should be done de hors the elections.”

With the clock ticking towards the Bihar polls, the debate over voter eligibility, foreign nationals, and the sanctity of the voter list appears set to intensify.