‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’ ground report: SIR issue dominates in Bihar; what voters say
Ahead of the Assembly elections in Bihar, EC’s move to remove 65 lakh names from the voter list, citing corrections, has sparked a heated political debate in the state. This ground report from Sheikhpura by The Federal Desh captures the mood
Bihar’s Sheikhpura is known for its fertile soil. This region has traditionally been associated with agriculture. But these days, its political climate is far more volatile than its weather. The soil here seems to be sowing new political debates, the most prominent being the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls. Put simply, this is the Election Commission’s (EC) drive to “clean up” the voter list.
The issue has now entered public discourse across Bihar, and The Federal Desh team witnessed its impact on the ground in Sheikhpura as well.
Also read: Can Rahul’s Voter Adhikar Yatra reshape Bihar's political arithmetic? | Capital Beat
By the time this report was filed, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav had already passed through Sheikhpura as part of his ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who is busy with the Vice-Presidential election, could not join the yatra here.
Still, the massive turnout for Tejashwi’s march indicated that the Opposition versus battle is not just confined to speeches in Patna but is resonating at the grassroots as well.
Traditionally, Bihar politics has been dominated by caste alliances. Yet, even before the 2025 Assembly polls are announced, the issue of voter list revision has already emerged as the most hotly debated subject.
People divided along political lines
When The Federal Desh sought to gauge public opinion in Sheikhpura, most people seemed to explain the controversy through the prism of their political loyalties.
Also read: Is saying ‘jumla’ a crime: Tejashwi Yadav on FIR over Modi post
Take local resident Ranjit Kumar, who, speaking like a seasoned politician, told us: “The Election Commission has orchestrated voter theft across the country. You’ll be shocked to know that one household has 200 voters listed, while another has just 80. The BJP government has been formed by stealing votes, not through free and fair elections.”
But Rajesh Sahu, another resident of Sheikhpura, firmly rejected such allegations.
“Only fake or wrong names have been removed from the voter list. It’s not true that only the poor are being struck off. People have been given enough time to submit proper documents and prove that their names were wrongly deleted,” he said.
Also read: Bihar SIR less about cleansing electoral rolls, more about destroying democracy: Congress
Conversations on the ground revealed that people remain split into clear partisan camps. For instance, a man named Shahbaz asked pointedly: “Will only government supporters get voting rights? And if someone opposes the government, will their name be struck off?”
Shahbaz went further: “The Election Commission is under the Prime Minister’s pressure. But it won’t matter much now, because the INDIA alliance’s momentum is already building in Bihar.”
Opposition’s street protests vs legal battle
The ground reality seems to reflect Shahbaz’s observation. The yatras led by Rahul, Tejashwi, and other INDIA bloc leaders have indeed raised political temperatures. However, with several months still left for the Assembly elections, it remains to be seen how long this issue will dominate. Interestingly, some locals felt the Opposition should have approached the courts rather than hitting the streets.
Chandan Kumar of Sheikhpura told The Federal Desh, “The Voter Adhikar Yatra won’t make any real difference. It would have been better if the Opposition leaders had first fought this battle in the courts.”
SIR as political litmus test
Overall, what emerges is a state deeply polarised along party lines, with opinions on SIR following strict partisan narratives. Opposition parties have succeeded in convincing their grassroots workers and supporters that the EC, under government influence, is striking off names of the poor, backward, and marginalised communities. On the other hand, BJP and its allies’ supporters believe the removal of 65 lakh names from the electoral rolls was a necessary and legitimate step.
(This article was originally published in The Federal Desh)
