Don’t just raise allegations, present facts: Bihar CM slams Opposition over SIR

Patna: Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary took objection to the Opposition’s allegations over the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) and asked them not to trivialise the process by making baseless accusations, rather substantiate their claims with facts and documents.

He said that the SIR is not a new process in Bihar but an intensive voter revision exercise, previously conducted in 2003, and the one in 2025 was carried out, building upon the foundation of the previous electoral roll.

The Chief Minister further explained that during the SIR, Booth Level Officers (BLOs) conducted door-to-door outreach to voters; the EC released draft electoral rolls, providing a window for claims and objections, and only after that the final list was published.

Addressing the questions raised by the Opposition— specifically Rahul Gandhi and Tejashwi Yadav regarding the SIR, the Chief Minister stated that objections concerning individuals whose names were removed from the list could have been formally lodged with the Election Commission, supported by concrete documentation. He added that any discrepancies that came to light were rectified in accordance with the established procedure.

Further, addressing the Opposition’s demands to cancel the election, Samrat Choudhary stated that if anyone has complaints regarding irregularities in the electoral process, mechanisms exist through the Election Commission and the courts.

While questions regarding the electoral process can be raised in a democracy, they must be backed by facts. Targeting the Congress party, he stated that the Opposition should present its arguments based on facts rather than levelling allegations against the Election Commission.

The Chief Minister further remarked that the public makes the final decision in elections, and political parties ought to respect people's verdict. Regarding the Opposition's announcement of agitation against SIR, he supported parties’ right to demonstrate and protest but asserted that the SIR was completed in Bihar and that questions concerning it have already been addressed at the appropriate levels.

He also noted that BLOs contacted the voters door-to-door and stated that a large number of voters who were deceased, permanently relocated, or registered at multiple locations were identified and understandably removed from the list.

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