Skillful selection

• Bihar’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) by the Election Commission of India (ECI) has been criticized for potentially excluding lakhs of voters.
  • The task’s size, short duration, and strict verification criteria could lead to the exclusion of thousands of voters.
  • Critics argue that it would be challenging for migrant voters, an estimated 20% of Bihar’s voting population, to be present for verification during the window ending on July 31.
  • The Representation of the People Act, 1950, and manuals on electoral rolls suggest caution in removing names of migrants, especially those away from their place of residence for a short period.
  • The issue becomes more complicated with long-term migrants, as a significant section of the voting-age population, especially males, migrate for work.
  • The SIR must carefully parse such electors and ensure only longer-term migrants are removed from the rolls.
  • Migrant workers are integral to the economic engines of several states and their political voice should be more impactful in holding representatives accountable.