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Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Sanjay Singh on Sundaygave a Suspension of Business Notice in Rajya Sabha under rule 267, demanding discussion in the Upper House on the constitutional and electoral implications of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists in Bihar, stataing that the process appears to be "discriminatory" and risks deletion of large sections of voters ahead of the 2025 Assembly polls.
Calling the matter serious, he said, "While the regular and transparent revision of electoral rolls forms the bedrock of our democratic system, the manner in which this process is being implemented in Bihar appears to be concerning and discriminatory on multiple fronts, especially when viewed in the context of the anticipated Assembly elections in 2025." Sanjay Singh, in his letter addressed to the Secretary-General of Rajya Sabha, he said, "This process has become almost impossible for migrant labourers, outstation students, and economically weaker sections, many of whom possess only an Aadhaar card as proof of identity, a document which the government has long recognised as valid proof of identity, but which is not being accepted in this revision." He further said, "Regrettably, citizens who were included in the electoral roll after 2003 are now being asked to furnish proof of their parents' date and place of birth. This is an expectation that is nearly impossible for rural, illiterate, and socially disadvantaged communities to fulfil, as they neither have formal birth certificates, nor school records, nor the administrative access needed to obtain such documents." Sanjay Singh also mentioned the unfulfilled promise made in 2023 to migrant workers regarding the facility of remote work and said that there is a risk that their names might be deleted from the electoral roll due to their absence from their place of residence. "It is not only a violation of the universal adult suffrage enshrined in Article 326 of the Constitution, but it also undermines the credibility of our democracy", he said. Sanjay Singh had asked for a similar motion under Rule 267 to discuss the SIR in Bihar on July 24, 2025. (ANI)
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