National News: Ahead of the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections, the ongoing Special Intensive Voter Revision (SIR) campaign has sparked political tensions. Leader of the Opposition Tejashwi Yadav has leveled serious allegations against the BJP and the Election Commission, claiming that the voter list is being selectively manipulated to influence electoral outcomes in constituencies where the BJP had narrow victories in the previous election.
Even 1% Voter Reduction Can Alter Results, Warns Tejashwi
In a detailed post on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Tejashwi shared statistical insights:
“Bihar has a total of 7.90 crore voters. If just 1% of voters—around 790,000 people—are removed from the list, it would result in an average of 3,251 voters being removed per constituency.”
He further warned that the BJP's real intention could be to eliminate up to 4–5% of voters, which may decisively swing results in closely contested seats. According to him, 35 constituencies in the 2020 elections had victory margins below 3,000 votes, making even minimal deletions a potential game-changer.
Conspiracy at the Booth Level: Every 10 Votes Matter
Tejashwi also analyzed the booth-level impact:
- Bihar has 77,895 polling booths.
- Each assembly constituency, on average, contains 320 booths.
- If only 10 voters per booth are removed, this amounts to a loss of 3,200 voters per constituency.
He emphasized that such small-scale deletions, if politically motivated, could result in a significant shift in electoral outcomes, particularly in marginal seats.
Data from 2015 & 2020 Reveal High-Stakes Margins
Tejashwi presented data from previous elections to underline the sensitivity:
- In 2015, 15 seats were decided by margins under 3,000 votes.
- In 2020, that number rose to 35 seats.
If considering margins under 5,000 votes:
- 2015 had 32 such seats.
- 2020 had 52 constituencies with tight margins.
These figures indicate how even a minor reduction in voter numbers could impact results in a large number of constituencies.
We Won’t Let Democracy Be Undermined—Tejashwi’s Call to Action
Calling upon citizens to stay alert, Tejashwi said, “The BJP is targeting specific communities and voter groups through the voter list revision process. But we are ready. Our workers are reaching every household to ensure that the votes of the poor, Dalits, and migrants are not tampered with.”
He assured that Mahagathbandhan workers are stationed at every booth to monitor the situation and assist illiterate or undocumented voters in completing the required forms to ensure their names stay on the list. We are committed to defending democracy. We will not allow it to be dismantled in this manner,” he asserted.
A Battle Beyond Numbers—A Test of Democracy
The ongoing voter list revision in Bihar has now taken on deep political significance. While the Election Commission claims it is part of routine maintenance to remove duplicate, deceased, or relocated voters, the opposition sees it as a targeted move aimed at disrupting their support base.
The coming weeks will reveal whether the Election Commission can maintain the trust and transparency needed in such a critical process—or whether this issue becomes a central electoral flashpoint ahead of the 2025 elections.
