'Should we allow dead voters?': EC chief defends Bihar's SIR
What's the story
Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar has defended the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, amid opposition protests. Speaking to CNN-News18, he asked if the Election Commission should allow dead voters, duplicate Elector Photo Identity Cards (EPICs), and foreigners on the voter list. "Should the Election Commission allow dead voters to be on the voter list? What is the objection about?" he questioned.
Twitter Post
Detailed statement by EC
Election Commission of India questions its critics, saying, "The Constitution of India is the mother of Indian democracy....So, fearing these things, should the Election Commission, getting misled by some people, pave the way for some to cast fake votes in the name of deceased… pic.twitter.com/CMowZNCdKI
— ANI (@ANI) July 24, 2025
Constitution
52 lakh electors to be removed
Elaborating further, he said, "The Constitution...is the mother of India's democracy. So, fearing these things, should the Election Commission, being misled by such people, pave the way for such people to cast fake votes in the name of dead voters, permanently migrated voters, voters who have cast their votes in two places?" The EC on Tuesday revealed that over 52 lakh electors in Bihar were discovered to be either deceased, permanently relocated, or enrolled in several locations.
Disenfranchisement claims
Opposition alleges over 50 lakh voters...
The remarks by Kumar came as the opposition, led by the Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Congress, alleged that over 50 lakh voters could be disenfranchised due to the SIR exercise. RJD leader Tejaswi Yadav had threatened to boycott the elections if the SIR exercise was not stopped. "If the...polls are conducted in a partial and manipulative manner where it is already decided who would win what number of seats, what is the use of conducting...an election?" he told IANS.
Court intervention
Supreme Court is hearing petitions against revision of electoral rolls
The Supreme Court is currently hearing petitions against the revision of Bihar's electoral rolls. During one such hearing, the court urged the Election Commission to make the process appealable and to hold hearings before finalizing the list. The SC had also asked EC to consider Aadhaar cards, voter IDs and ration cards as acceptable proof of eligibility for inclusion in electoral rolls. But on Tuesday, the EC said these documents do not meet the required standards for verifying eligibility.