Election Commission Orders Nationwide Special Revision of Voter Lists, Similar to Bihar
Hyderabad, 26 July – (www.deccanlive.com): The Election Commission of India has announced a special revision of electoral rolls across the country, similar to the exercise recently carried out in Bihar.
According to reports, during the special revision in Bihar, over 5.2 million voter names were deleted. Of these, 2.16 million were deceased voters, while 3.15 million were reportedly people who had permanently migrated out of Bihar. Around 700,000 names were deleted due to duplication, and 100,000 were removed as their whereabouts could not be verified.
The Commission issued detailed orders on June 24, 2025, which came to light today. These orders, comprising 15 points, outline the procedure for this nationwide revision.
Key points include:
- Nationwide rollout: Point 10 of the order confirms that the same revision process implemented in Bihar will be extended to all states, with a schedule to be announced soon.
- Pre-2003 voters unaffected: As per Point 11, individuals whose names were on the rolls before January 1, 2003, will not be required to provide documents to prove their citizenship. However, those added after 2003 must submit supporting documents.
- New entries require documents: Point 12 states that those who were not registered before 2003 must present valid documents to prove eligibility for inclusion in the voter list.
The opposition has strongly criticized this move, claiming it could be used to disenfranchise Muslims and other secular sections of society, particularly citing the large-scale deletions in Bihar.
This nationwide rollout is expected to spark political controversy, as similar exercises have faced allegations of targeting specific communities in the past.
