Aadhaar out, uproar in: Bihar’s voter roll sparks a political firestorm

The Bihar roll revision initiated by the Election Commission (EC) just ahead of the elections is threatening to snowball into a major political crisis, with the opposition warning that it could disenfranchise millions. Tejashwi Yadav, leader of the principal Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), and Rahul Gandhi of the Congress have united in opposing the move, calling it a virtual “vote steal.”

Several petitions have been filed in court against the revision, citing lack of due process and an “unreasonably short timeline” for the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar. Even allies of the Modi government, including Union minister Chirag Paswan — who is contesting the Bihar assembly election —have voiced concern about what appears to be an overreach by the EC.

The core issue is that the EC, which has a Constitutional mandate to conduct free and fair elections, is now being viewed as “partisan,” allegedly favoring the BJP at the Centre.

At the heart of the controversy are the stringent identity requirements and the exclusion of documents such as Aadhaar and ration cards, which were accepted in the past. The opposition and petitioners argue that the EC has overstepped its brief and shifted the burden of inclusion on electoral rolls from the state to the individual voter.

They contend that Article 326 of the Constitution is being violated by demanding voters provide birth certificates for themselves and their parents to prove citizenship — failing which, their names risk being struck off the rolls.

In Bihar, one of India’s poorest states with high levels of migration and low literacy, obtaining such documentation is near impossible for many of the poorest and most vulnerable voters — especially Dalits, Maha Dalits, and the Ati Pichhada (most backward classes). Whether by design or coincidence, this demographic forms the core support base of the opposition in the state.

An estimated 30 million voters — an enormous figure — could potentially be affected, fuelling allegations from the opposition that the move amounts to a premeditated hijack of the upcoming November elections.

The backlash cuts across caste lines. Even upper-caste voters, traditionally BJP supporters, are voicing discontent, calling the demand for extensive documentation— including parents’ birth certificates — unreasonable and harassing. “They expect nearly 40 to 50 documents. How are we supposed to put them together so quickly?” said Raghunath Jha of Patna to Gulf News. With nearly 40 per cent of Biharis working outside the state, getting them to return to their hometowns to submit these documents is proving to be a Herculean task.

The Aadhaar card — a biometric identity document introduced by the BJP government — was envisioned as the all-in-one ID card for Indian citizens. It is mandatory for most government services and has so far been accepted for voter ID verification. It is inexplicable why the EC has now decided to exclude Aadhaar for the purpose of this roll revision.

This sudden change has united an otherwise fractured opposition against both the EC and the BJP. Even Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, whose JD(U) is part of the BJP-led alliance, is said to have expressed private misgivings, warning that the move could backfire politically.

Though Bihar lags behind on many development indices, its electorate is politically aware and fiercely protective of its voting rights. The EC’s actions risk sparking a mass protest, with reports already emerging of anger and mobilisation in rural areas.

So, what exactly triggered the current controversy rocking Indian politics?

The EC announced the electoral roll revision in June 2025, aiming to ensure that only eligible citizens remain on the rolls. Anyone not listed in the 2003 rolls — an estimated 30 million people — must now submit at least one of 11 specified documents to prove eligibility.

A senior RJD leader told Gulf News: “We can’t allow this to happen. The BJP is desperate to come to power in Bihar, abandon Nitish Kumar, and is now using the ‘neutral umpire’ as an extra player. We won’t play this match if they get an extra player. We will launch a mass movement to stop this vote steal.”

A large-scale movement may be a tall order for the opposition — particularly for the Congress — but the RJD does have a robust cadre in Bihar capable of mass mobilisation.

The EC must now act to safeguard its institutional credibility. It is one of the cornerstones of Indian democracy, trusted to conduct free and fair elections. Recent developments, however, have cast a shadow on that trust — and some of the opposition’s criticism appears to be well-founded.