Bihar Special Intensive Revision: SIR being done to terrorise people, must be withdrawn, says Dipankar Bhattacharya

Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya on Tuesday (July 15, 2025) demanded that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Bihar be withdrawn immediately and that the Assembly elections this year be conducted on the basis of the 2024 voter list.

He also raised concerns about certain claims of the Election Commission (EC), questioning how suddenly people from Bangladesh, Myanmar and Nepal were being found by EC sources.

“This is a lie. Elections were held in 2024. Was there any such complaint regarding that voter list? Did any party make such a complaint? How and from where did it appear suddenly?“ he asked, addressing a press conference in Patna.

He further said, “In 2019, the Election Commission wrote to the Parliament that there were no foreign voters in 2016-2019. There were only 3 such complaints in 2018. In such a situation, where are foreigners [being] found in Bihar in 2025? Mushars will be found in every village of Bihar, will they be called people of Myanmar?”

Mr. Bhattacharya alleged that migrant labourers and Muslims of Bihar were being called Bangladeshi. He added that migrant workers from West Bengal were also facing the same problem because they spoke Bengali.

“Now, how did the labourers who speak Hindi also become Bangladeshi? This is an attempt to throw dust in the eyes of the people. There is a relation of daughter and bread with Nepal. Every day, our every apprehension is being confirmed. This is a mockery of the Constitution,” Mr. Bhattacharya alleged.

Criticising the ongoing SIR, he added that the campaign was being run by terrorising people. “Why is this atmosphere of terror being created?” he asked.

‘BLOs under pressure’

He also took a dig at the EC over its statement that there were problems with the SIR and they had a large number of Booth Level Officers (BLO) and volunteers.

“One-third time has passed, and the reports coming out from the ground prove that BLOs have not reached many houses, and hardly anyone has received the two forms. Whatever is going on is a game of numbers, a terrible chaos,” he said.

Claiming that the BLOs themselves were upset, Mr. Bhattacharya said that one officer had died under pressure, and many were saying they too did not have the required documents.

Ganesh Prasad Yadav, 51, a BLO in Kako Panchayat in Madhubani district, had died following a heart attack last Friday.

“One Block Development Officer (BDO) in Katihar resigned, alleging harassment. If a BLO says anything, action is taken against them,” he said, adding that an FIR was filed against senior journalist Anjit Anjum “just for showing the truth”.

EROs’ authority questioned

Mr. Bhattacharya also questioned the authority given to Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) to take a call when voters were unable to provide the required documents. In such cases, the EROs can decide based on local investigation or other documentary evidence.

“There is a complete attempt to steal this election. That is why people of Bihar have started raising the slogan — chunav chor gaddi chhod (election thieves should leave the throne),” he said.

He went on to say, “The right to vote of every voter should be guaranteed. The Election Commission has also sent a letter to us. We want to meet separately. SIR has to be withdrawn. The 2025 elections should be conducted properly on the basis of the 2024 voter list. There should be peaceful elections in Bihar.”