Opposition parties compare the EC’s SIR drive to the NRC, claiming it targets the poor and migrants ahead of the Bihar elections.
BY PC Bureau
New Delhi, July 17, 2025: In a fiery attack on the Election Commission (EC), Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Thursday alleged that the poll body had been “caught red-handed” manipulating voter rolls in Bihar under the guise of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.
“Is the EC still the Election Commission—or has it become the BJP’s ‘Election Chori’ (Vote Theft) wing?” Gandhi asked in a post on X, tagging journalist Ajit Anjum, who had earlier published a video investigation exposing alleged irregularities.
Gandhi’s remarks came after an FIR was filed against Anjum for reporting that Booth Level Officers (BLOs) in Bihar were filling out voter enumeration forms and signing them without voters’ knowledge. In his YouTube video, Anjum presented visual evidence to support his claims.
बिहार में चुनाव आयोग ‘SIR’ के नाम पर रंगे हाथ वोट चोरी करता पकड़ा गया।
काम सिर्फ़ चोरी, नाम ‘SIR’ – पर्दाफाश करने वाले पर होगी FIR!
EC अब भी ‘Election Commission’ है या पूरी तरह BJP की ‘Election Chori’ शाखा बन चुका है?#VoteChori https://t.co/sigNsspa4a
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) July 17, 2025
Criticism quickly mounted over the FIR, with media bodies such as the Delhi Union of Journalists (DUJ), Editors Guild of India (EGI), and Press Club of India (PCI) condemning it as an attack on press freedom. Opposition parties, too, rallied behind Anjum and questioned the EC’s timing and intent behind the SIR—conducted just months ahead of the state elections.
READ: Bihar Roll Revision Blowup: Why the ECI Is Under Fire (Part-1)
READ: Nitish Kumar Offers Free Power to Retain Power in Bihar
Adding fuel to the controversy, the EC had reportedly demanded voters in some constituencies produce documents verifying their date and place of birth and even parental documentation, drawing parallels with the National Register of Citizens (NRC) exercise in Assam.
Opposition leaders have accused the EC of attempting to disenfranchise poor and migrant voters and have moved the Supreme Court seeking relief. Gandhi, who recently joined a protest march to the Bihar Chief Electoral Office, said the real crime was being covered up by punishing the whistleblower.
“Steal votes under ‘SIR’, then slap FIRs on those who expose it. This is not democracy—it’s daylight robbery,” Gandhi said.
