The recent remarks made by JD(U) Member of Parliament Giridhari Yadav have created a politically sensitive situation for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), especially with the Bihar Assembly elections drawing near. His statements have not only sparked controversy but have also given the Opposition new material to criticise the current handling of electoral processes. The focal point of Yadav’s criticism is the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls currently being undertaken in Bihar.
Yadav has expressed strong reservations about the timing, execution, and transparency of the SIR process. He fears that the exercise, if not handled with greater sensitivity and planning, could lead to the large-scale exclusion of voters, particularly from underprivileged and marginalised groups such as Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST).
While speaking to Aaj Tak, the digital arm of India Today, Yadav narrated his personal struggle in attempting to complete the required SIR procedures for his family. He revealed that it took him nearly ten days and multiple exhausting trips between Delhi and Bihar to sort out the documentation and verification. “When the Booth Level Officer (BLO) handed us the necessary forms, we had to return to Delhi to get them signed. But when we brought the completed form back, the BLO failed to turn up due to heavy rains,” he recounted.
Despite these efforts, Yadav said that one of his sons' forms could not be submitted. He had to write “Lives in the USA” in the signature column and was left uncertain about whether his son's name would remain in the electoral list or be deleted.
Yadav took a sharp dig at the Election Commission of India (ECI) for choosing such an inconvenient time to implement the revision drive. He pointed out that Bihar is currently grappling with a flood-like situation in various areas and that it is also the peak agricultural season. “Should the farmer focus on completing official formalities or attend to his farm first?” he asked rhetorically, stressing that the Election Commission should have better planned the process.
He suggested that the Commission should have allowed a minimum of six months to carry out the exercise properly. “It is the Election Commission’s constitutional duty to ensure that voters are not inconvenienced. With very little time left for the elections, such an important revision should have been done well in advance—at least six months ago,” he insisted.
Yadav further acknowledged the constitutional authority of the Election Commission to conduct SIRs but emphasized that the timeframe allotted to Bihar was wholly inadequate. “Right after the Lok Sabha elections, the Commission had an entire year. This revision work could have been done during that period,” he pointed out, adding that people working outside Bihar are now being unfairly affected by the abrupt implementation.
Raising concern for underprivileged groups, Yadav warned that Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes may bear the brunt of the SIR, as many of them lack the resources or documentation required to complete the formalities. “If I, a sitting Member of Parliament, had to go through such hardships to get my own family's information updated, imagine the difficulties a common man might be facing,” he said.
He also highlighted a specific instance to illustrate the absurdity of the documentation requirement: a Bengali woman married and settled in Bihar who, in the absence of her late parents, might not be able to produce all the required documents. “Will she now be labelled a Bangladeshi?” Yadav asked pointedly.
He went on to challenge the logic behind revising the voter list so soon after the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. “The same voter list was used to elect MPs just a few months ago. If it is flawed now, then are you saying that I got elected based on an incorrect list? That would cast doubt on the legitimacy of the entire electoral process,” he argued. He called for a broader discussion in Parliament on the implications of the SIR.
Yadav’s comments come as the Election Commission has disclosed that more than 52 lakh (5.2 million) names have already been removed from the electoral rolls in Bihar. These deletions include approximately 18 lakh deceased voters, 26 lakh who have relocated to other constituencies, and another 7 lakh who were found to be registered in more than one location.
Facing criticism from political parties and the public, and amid ongoing legal proceedings over the revision, the Election Commission has maintained that it is committed to ensuring that no eligible voter is excluded. The draft electoral roll is scheduled to be published on August 1, 2025.
To carry out the massive revision task, the ECI has deployed close to one lakh Booth Level Officers (BLOs), supported by four lakh community volunteers and 1.5 lakh Booth Level Agents (BLAs) from a total of 12 political parties. The Commission is also actively reaching out to voters whose Enumeration Forms have not been submitted or who were not found at their registered addresses. Electoral officers have even shared a list of 21.36 lakh voters whose forms are still missing with political parties, urging them to follow up.
As per the directive dated June 24, 2025, members of the public will have the opportunity to file objections or request corrections between August 1 and September 1. The final version of the electoral roll will be made public on September 30.
Beyond electoral issues, Giridhari Yadav also voiced strong dissatisfaction with the Central Government on several other matters, particularly related to infrastructure and the judiciary in Bihar. He criticised the Ministry of Railways for not allocating any new trains to Patna over the last 11 years. He further pointed out the imbalance in judicial infrastructure by highlighting that smaller states like Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat have multiple High Court benches, whereas Bihar, with a population exceeding 12 crore, has only one High Court.
“Why has Bihar been left with just one High Court bench for such a huge population? When questioned, the Minister gives vague and unsatisfactory answers,” Yadav concluded, underscoring a broader sense of neglect felt by the people of the state.
