ThePrint CutTheClutter: Bihar SIR: In EC vs Rahul Gandhi-led Oppn fight over 'vote chori', what's at stake & what lies ahead
Aug 21, 2025
DK Singh, Political Editor, and Apoorva Mandhani, Senior Assistant Editor, dive into the chaos surrounding the Bihar elections. They discuss Rahul Gandhi's explosive claims of 'vote chori' against the Election Commission and the ruling party. Key issues include manipulation of electoral rolls, with a focus on the potential removal of millions of voters, particularly from minority communities. The conversation also touches on the challenges of verifying voter citizenship and the legal disputes over access to electoral information, emphasizing the need for transparency.
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SIR Is Both Technical And Highly Political
- The SIR controversy combines technical roll-cleaning with intense political stakes ahead of Bihar polls.
- Clean rolls are legitimate, but timing and context politicize the exercise.
Scale And Breakdown Of The Deletions
- The ECI reported 65.6 lakh deletions from 7.9 crore rolls citing dead, shifted, and duplicate voters.
- The deletion breakdown (22 lakh dead, 36+ lakh shifted, 7 lakh duplicates) drives disputes over scale and impact.
Understand Revision Methods And Timelines
- Intensive revision uses door-to-door verification while summary revision updates lists without house checks.
- Expect different timelines and verification burdens depending on which revision method is used.