In this three-part series, we uncover the chaos and controversies surrounding Bihar’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls ahead of the 2025 Assembly elections. From forged signatures to chaotic ECI centers, we explore the mounting allegations of fraud and political manipulation threatening Bihar’s democratic process. Stay tuned for Parts 2 and 3 as we delve deeper into operational failures and the fight for electoral integrity.
BY Navin Upadhyay
July 17, 2025 – A viral video from Darbhanga showing Kavita Kumari, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Mahila Morcha District President, allegedly processing voter enumeration forms during the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise has ignited a firestorm of controversy. Coupled with a YouTube video by senior journalist Ajit Anjum exposing widespread irregularities in Begusarai’s voter roll revision, these incidents have cast a dark shadow over Bihar’s electoral process, raising serious concerns about fraud, political interference, and systemic failures ahead of the 2025 Assembly elections. This is the first of a three-part series examining the chaos and allegations surrounding Bihar’s voter list revision.Darbhanga
The Darbhanga video, widely shared on X by several users, , captures Kavita Kumari seated alongside a Booth Level Officer (BLO) at an ECI center, appearing to scrutinize voter enumeration forms—a task strictly reserved for ECI-appointed officials. Opposition leaders, including Rashtriya Janata Dal’s (RJD) Tejashwi Yadav, condemned the incident, with posts on X stating, “The BJP is openly rigging voter registration,” and questioning the integrity of the electoral process.
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The ECI, in a statement on July 16, 2025, published by Live Hindustan, denied any wrongdoing, claiming no evidence of interference by Kumari. However, the lack of action against the BJP leader has fueled public distrust, with critics arguing that her presence violates ECI guidelines mandating neutrality.
बिहार में ‘ SIR ‘ के नाम पर हो रहे फर्जीवाड़े का सबसे बड़ा सबूत
सब कुछ कैमरे पर है .
BLO ही वोटर्स के फॉर्म भर रहे हैं
BLO ही वोटर्स के बदले दस्तखत कर रहे हैं .
वोटर्स लिस्ट से नाम देख देखकर एक सरकारी ऑफिस में धड़ल्ले से ये काम हो रहा है .
जवाब देगा चुनाव आयोग या फिर FIR… pic.twitter.com/3DmeTnvsvD— Ajit Anjum (@ajitanjum) July 16, 2025
Ajit Anjum’s Exposé: Irregularities in Begusarai
Adding fuel to the fire, a July 12, 2025, YouTube video by veteran journalist Ajit Anjum, with 7.54 million subscribers, alleged large-scale irregularities in the SIR process in Begusarai’s Sahebpur Kamal constituency. The 45-minute video, posted on his channel, revealed that BLOs were uploading voter forms without required photographs, signatures, or supporting documents, violating ECI protocols. Anjum’s footage showed a BLO admitting to these lapses, with some forms containing only names and signatures, leaving other fields blank. He questioned the credibility of the process, stating, “There are a hundred questions about the Election Commission’s methods in Bihar,” and accused the ECI of failing to ensure transparency.
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The Begusarai district administration responded by filing an FIR against Anjum on July 13, 2025, at Balia police station, based on a complaint by BLO Mohammad Ansarul Haque. The FIR, under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Representation of the People Act, 1951, accused Anjum of unauthorized entry, obstructing government work, and spreading communal discord by allegedly focusing on Muslim voters’ harassment—a claim Anjum denied as “completely false.” He re-uploaded the video on X, challenging the ECI to fact-check his findings, and described the FIR as a “certificate” of his journalistic integrity. The Press Club of India, Indian Women’s Press Corps, and DIGIPUB News India Foundation condemned the FIR as an “assault on independent journalism,” demanding its withdrawal.
Widespread Irregularities by BLOs
Anjum’s video is part of a broader pattern of documented irregularities. Across Bihar, videos circulating on X reveal BLOs engaging in questionable practices during the SIR, which began on June 25, 2025, to update the voter list:
3 मिनट 30 सेकेंड का ये वीडियो इस बात का सबसे बड़ा सबूत है कि बिहार में ‘SIR ‘ के नाम पर बड़ा फर्जीवाड़ा हो रहा है .
बिहार की राजधानी पटना से दस किमी दूर एक ब्लॉक ऑफिस में बैठे BLO वोटर्स के फॉर्म भी खुद कर रहे हैं .वोटर का फर्जी दस्तखत भी खुद ही कर रहे हैं . और दनादन अपलोड भी कर… pic.twitter.com/jwfYgVCLSA— Ajit Anjum (@ajitanjum) July 17, 2025
Fake Signatures and Thumbprints: Anjum’s video and opposition claims, including from Tejashwi Yadav, allege BLOs are uploading forms with forged signatures or thumbprints without voters’ consent. Similar reports from Purnia show BLOs filling forms en masse, bypassing verification.
Selective Verification: X posts and ground reports suggest BLOs are prioritizing certain communities while neglecting others. In Bhagalpur, data indicates 2 lakh voters face deletion, with 29,558 flagged for duplicates and 47,980 for relocation, raising fears of targeted disenfranchisement, particularly among Dalits and Muslims.
No Acknowledgment Receipts: Anjum and opposition leaders like Yadav have highlighted that BLOs often fail to issue acknowledgment receipts, increasing risks of arbitrary voter deletions. Yadav called this a “violation of informed consent.”
Chaos at ECI Centers:
No House-to-House VerificationDespite ECI directives for door-to-door verification, BLOs in Darbhanga, Madhubani, Araria, and Katihar are largely stationed at ECI centers, forcing voters to throng these locations. The resulting chaos has seen thousands queuing at centers, struggling to submit forms before the July 25 deadline. A local journalist, Mansoor Khushtar, described Darbhanga’s situation: “People rushed to ECI centers, with normal life at a standstill.” The ECI’s claim of collecting 86.32% of enumeration forms masks this disarray, with vulnerable groups like the elderly and migrant workers disproportionately affected amid Bihar’s monsoon and flooding.
The SIR has sparked intense political backlash. The INDIA bloc, including RJD, Congress, and CPI(ML) Liberation, organized a “chakka jam” in Darbhanga and Madhubani on July 9, 2025, labeling the process “votebandi” (voter suppression). CPI(ML)’s Kishun Pandit accused the ECI of following BJP’s “whims,” while Rahul Gandhi, at a Patna rally, alleged a “conspiracy to attack the Constitution.” BJP’s Syed Shahnawaz Hussain defended the ECI, claiming only ineligible voters, including those from Nepal and Bangladesh, are being removed. However, the ECI’s discovery of such individuals with Aadhaar cards has raised further questions about systemic documentation failures.
A Process Under Scrutiny
The SIR, launched on June 24, 2025, aims to eliminate duplicates, deceased voters, and non-residents from Bihar’s 7.9 crore electors, with 77,895 BLOs and 20,603 new officers. Yet, the tight timeline—form submission by July 25, draft roll on August 1, and final roll by September 30—has overwhelmed the system. The Supreme Court, hearing petitions from opposition parties and NGOs like the Association for Democratic Reforms, recently signaled that the ECI should accept Aadhaar, EPIC, or ration cards as proof, acknowledging the risk of disenfranchising 2.9 crore voters unable to produce documents.
As Anjum’s video and the Darbhanga incident highlight, Bihar’s voter list revision is mired in allegations of fraud, political interference, and operational chaos, threatening the democratic process. The ECI’s response—or lack thereof—will be critical as public trust erodes.
