File photo of INDIA Alliance MPs protesting SIR in Parliament Complex in New Delhi.
By G Krishna Mohan Rao*
New Delhi: The present stalemate in Parliament over SIR (Special Intensive Revision) in poll-bound Bihar is likely to continue tomorrow when the Parliament resumes after the Sunday break, with the Congress-led opposition adamant about demanding a discussion on the SIR issue, claiming to have found “massive irregularities”. The Opposition demands immediate discussion on the review of Bihar poll rolls.
On Thursday, July 31 and Friday, August 1, 2025, both Houses of Parliament witnessed uproarious scenes that resulted in a total washout, without the transaction of any business. The SIR issue dominated the proceedings ever since the Monsoon Session began on July 21, but it was kept in abeyance as there was consensus among the members to take up the debate on Operation Sindoor, which was debated and concluded on July 30.
The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government, on the other hand, is adamant in not allowing the debate and indicated that it is not feasible for any discussion on SIR as the Election Commission ( EC) was conceived as an independent entity and not represented by any ministry. The government is also referring to the ruling of the former speaker Balram Jhakar that Parliament cannot discuss the functioning of the EC.
Despite mounting anxiety to get key legislation passed, the government is keeping silent and assessing the situation and at the same time looking for a solution to it. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju made it clear that the decision to allow a discussion on EC’s decision to conduct SIR rests with the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha Chairs. Sources say that the opposition will intensify their demand from tomorrow for debate on SIR first, and later urge for its withdrawal. On this issue, the Congress party is being strongly supported by Samajwadi Party, the Rashtriya Janata Dal, the Trinamul Congress, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, the Nationalist Congress Party-Sharad Pawar, the Shiv Sena-UBT, Left parties and other smaller groups.
Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi’s accusation of “vote theft” against the EC on Friday, August 1, has resulted in strong denial by the Commission, which said that the “vote theft” allegation is baseless and asked the poll officials to continue working impartially and transparently.
Sources said that the opposition parties would be meeting tomorrow morning to decide the floor strategy for the day. Rahul Gandhi’s statement, on Friday, outside the Parliament after the adjournment, had resulted in the government hardening its stand on the present deadlock. Gandhi said that his party collected an “ atom bomb” of evidence to prove that the EC is helping the BJP [Bharatiya Janata Party] steal votes in poll-bound Bihar. Stepping up his attack on “vote chori”, Rahul wrote a letter, with signatures of other opposition party leaders, to the Lok Sabha Speaker, demanding immediate discussion on SIR.
It may be noted that the EC last Friday published the draft electoral rolls for poll-bound Bihar following a month-long SIR, drawing allegations of vote theft and large-scale disenfranchisement by the Opposition. Voters and Parties now have until September 1 to file claims and objections. Voters who have not submitted proof also have a month to do so at special camps at block-cum-circle offices and municipal offices.
The SIR has shrunk Bihar’s electorate from 7.89 crore to 7.24 crore. Eligible voters whose names have been deleted and those who will turn 18 before October 1, 2025, have been asked to register afresh at the camps. District heads of recognised parties in Bihar were given booth-wise electoral rolls along with a formal request by the district election officer for cooperation in the revision process by filing claims and objections. Para 6 of the appeal stated: “ Article 326 of the Constitution stipulates that every person who is a citizen of India and who has attained age 18 on the eligibility date, is ordinarily resident in the concerned constituency and has not been disqualified under any other law, shall be entitled to be registered in the electoral rolls. In the light of the said provision, necessary information regarding eligible voters should also be provided to the BLO [Booth Level Officer]/Assistant Electoral Registration Officer/Electoral Registration Officer in time through the BLA”. In other words, booth-level agents (BLAs) of political parties are being encouraged to report suspected foreigners on the electoral rolls.
Under the SIR, the onus is on the voter to prove their eligibility, including citizenship. Petitioners against the SIR in the Supreme Court have objected to the EC taking on the responsibility of citizenship verification. Opposition parties have also alleged that the BLAs of the BJP are not merely assisting voters but also filling out their forms.
The apex court has not stayed the SIR but nudged the EC to accept Aadhaar and voter ID cards as proof. Rahul Gandhi told newsmen outside the Parliament that “we have evidence that the EC is facilitating vote theft. I am saying this with 100 per cent evidence. As soon as we present this evidence. As soon as we present to everyone, the entire country will know that the EC is facilitating vote theft…..It is facilitating the BJP”. Gandhi further said, “The EC was not helping us, so we conducted our own investigation. This investigation took six months, and what we found is an atom bomb. Those who are involved in vote theft in the EC, we will not spare them”. Referring to Rahul’s comments, the EC posted on X: “Now, after a year, making baseless allegations against lakhs of election workers, repeatedly issuing threats and using terms like ‘vote thefts’ is a very irresponsible approach.”
The political atmosphere is surcharged with allegations and denials. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh slammed Rahul Gandhi for the latter’s “atom bomb” claims and dared him to detonate the explosive. Rajnath said in Patna that the EC is an institution that enjoys a reputation for unquestionable integrity. He reminded the Leader of the Opposition that his own party had blood on its hands, having tried to murder democracy in 1975 with the imposition of Emergency. Senior RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav held a press meet in Patna yesterday and alleged that his name was missing from the draft rolls despite having duly filled out the enumeration form and submitting it through booth booth-level officer. Immediately, the EC swung into action and denied Tejashwi’s claim and uploaded it on the website with proof carrying Tejashwi’s name.
The EC faces a tough time in dealing with the Congress-led opposition parties’ allegations that SIR is being turned into a tool for selective and intensive deletion. Interestingly, a day after asking its poll personnel in the field to ignore repeated threats and allegations by some opposition leaders and continue working impartially, the EC decided to reward the officers involved in electoral roll revision. This is likely to further aggravate the opposition leaders when Parliament is in session, with the EC on the receiving end.
*Senior journalist
