'Institutional arrogance': INDIA bloc wants SIR in Bihar to be halted, says data is 'flawed'

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The INDIA bloc, on Sunday, launched an attack on the Election Commission over the SIR (Special Intensive Revision (SIR) that is being held in Bihar and termed it "institutional arrogance".

The alliance also said that the exercise is based on "flawed data" and "opacity" and that it should be immediately halted. Further, it said that it is not only the opposition parties that are affected by this but even the NDA allies are facing a problem.

“The entire exercise reeks of institutional arrogance. There are too many inconsistencies and no clarity. This is not a correction exercise; this is exclusion in the name of verification," Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi said.

"Opacity has become the hallmark of your functioning. 63 lakh voters are being considered for deletion, and the number may grow. This is disenfranchisement," RJD's Manoj Jha said.

Meanwhile, the INDIA bloc, in a joint statement, said, "Our apprehension is turning out to be true. We had warned that this drive would ultimately lead to the exclusion of nearly 2 crore people. The EC is basing voter deletions on flawed form-based data. The scrutiny is not over; more exclusions are likely in the coming month. We will go to the people on this issue. Even NDA allies are seeing their voters affected."

The alliance has demanded that the SIR process be stopped immediately as it is "flawed". Meanwhile, the Election Commission has claimed that 7.23 crore Bihar electors have expressed faith in SIR process.

The Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Bihar has confirmed that forms of over 7.23 crore electors have been received and digitised and their names are set to be included in the Draft Electoral Roll, scheduled for release on August 1, 2025.