PATNA, India – July 13, 2025 – A significant number of foreign nationals from Nepal, Bangladesh, and Myanmar have been discovered on the electoral rolls in Bihar during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists, according to sources within the Election Commission of India (ECI). These findings have prompted swift action, with officials confirming that after due verification, the names of ineligible voters will be excluded from the final list slated for publication on September 30, 2025.
The ECI initiated the SIR on June 25, acting on a directive issued a day prior, with the explicit goal of purifying the electoral rolls by removing ineligible names and ensuring that only Indian citizens are included. The revision drive is set to continue until July 26.
As part of this comprehensive process, the ECI initially mandated all voters to submit identity documents, including proof of citizenship. Currently, over 77,000 Booth Level Officers (BLOs), along with government staff and political party workers, are meticulously verifying the credentials of more than 7.8 crore registered voters across Bihar. Both existing and prospective voters have been required to provide documents establishing their Indian citizenship. Officials have confirmed that detailed inquiries into the citizenship of suspected foreign nationals will commence after August 1.
The revelation has ignited a political firestorm, with Amit Malviya, head of the BJP IT Cell, launching a scathing attack on opposition parties. Malviya alleged that they were actively attempting to include foreign nationals in the electoral rolls to build their “vote bank.” In a public statement, Malviya claimed that “the voter list in Bihar has been found to include names of foreign citizens from countries like Bangladesh, Myanmar, and Nepal. This revelation came during the Special Intensive Revision.”
He further accused the RJD, Congress, Leftists, and their associated media and legal activists of continuously pressuring the Election Commission to include such names.
Earlier, the Supreme Court heard a batch of petitions challenging the ECI’s SIR in Bihar ahead of the assembly elections scheduled for later this year. Petitioners included prominent opposition leaders such as Trinamool Congress’s Mahua Moitra, RJD’s Manoj Kumar Jha, KC Venugopal from the Congress, and Supriya Sule from the Nationalist Congress Party – SP, among others. While the apex court allowed the ECI to proceed with the SIR, it directed the poll body to consider widely held documents like Aadhaar, voter ID, and ration cards during the verification process, in addition to the 11 documents initially listed by the central poll body. The Election Commission later clarified that these documents were already part of the documentation process under the ongoing SIR but do not in themselves prove eligibility to vote.
Looking ahead, the Election Commission has indicated that similar Special Intensive Revision processes will soon be initiated in West Bengal, Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Puducherry. This move comes as elections are expected to be announced in these five states by March or April 2026, with the terms of their respective Legislative Assemblies concluding in May of next year.
