Being a voter in Bihar

In Bihar, many people are worried about whether their names will be on the voter list. The Election Commission (EC) is checking and updating the voter list through something called the Special Intensive Revision (SIR). This is supposed to help, but right now it’s causing confusion.

At first, officials were asking for birth certificates to prove someone could vote. But in many parts of Bihar, people don’t have those documents. Later, EC said that birth certificates are not the only option — other documents like Aadhaar or ration cards could also help prove where someone lives. But even after that, things are still not clear.

In some areas like Patna and Begusarai, Aadhaar is accepted. But in places near Nepal and Bengal, like Kishanganj, people are told it’s not good enough. That’s unfair — rules should be the same everywhere! Because of this, over 2 lakh people (that’s 200,000!) in Kishanganj had to apply for extra documents just to prove they live there.

The Supreme Court, which is India’s top court, also told the EC to allow documents like Aadhaar and voter cards. It reminded the EC that checking who is a citizen is the government’s job, not the EC’s.

Another problem is timing. This voter list checking is happening just before elections, which is a very busy time. If they had started earlier, it would have been easier for people and officials to finish things calmly and fairly.

Also, the EC said no one’s name will be removed, but also said names won’t be added if documents are missing. That’s still a problem — because if your name isn’t on the list, you can’t vote!

And let’s not forget, many young people move away for college but still belong to their home town. That doesn’t mean they stopped being residents there.

So, the EC and the state election team must make things clear — especially for people working in the field — about what documents are okay. If Aadhaar and voter cards are accepted in some places, they should be accepted everywhere. Otherwise, the whole process will need to start again.

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