Bihar SIR: Nepalese, Bangladeshis found in voter list; names to be excluded from final list | India News

NEW DELHI: Field-level officials of the Election Commission (EC) have identified “a large number” of individuals from Nepal, Bangladesh, and Myanmar during ongoing house-to-house verification for the revision of the voters’ list in Bihar, news agency PTI quoted EC officials as saying on Sunday.The EC has made it clear that names of illegal migrants will not be included in the final electoral roll, which is set to be published on September 30. A proper verification process will begin after August 1 to determine the citizenship status of those flagged.Based on ground-level reports, booth-level officers (BLOs) conducting door-to-door checks have come across significant numbers of suspected foreign nationals. The poll body is expected to expand this special intensive revision (SIR) exercise nationwide to remove illegal migrants from electoral rolls by verifying individuals’ place of birth.The drive takes on added importance as Bihar heads to polls later this year, with state elections in Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal due in 2026. The revision is part of a wider crackdown on illegal immigration, particularly targeting those from Bangladesh and Myanmar.While the EC insists the move is aimed at ensuring only eligible Indian citizens are included in the voter lists, opposition parties have criticized the effort, claiming it may lead to large-scale disenfranchisement of legitimate citizens.On Friday, the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the EC’s exercise, but directed the poll body to treat Aadhaar, voter ID, and ration cards as valid documents for verification in the ongoing process.