Congress alleges 23 lakh women voters removed from Bihar rolls; claims EC working under political pressure ahead of assembly polls

New Delhi: The Congress has accused the Election Commission of erasing nearly 23 lakh women voters from Bihar’s electoral rolls under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, alleging a deliberate attempt to influence the upcoming state assembly polls.

Alka Lamba, chief of the All India Mahila Congress, charged that the deletions disproportionately affect around 59 constituencies where the 2020 elections were closely fought. She questioned how these women’s votes were valid in last year’s Lok Sabha elections but are suddenly deemed ineligible now. “This is nothing short of ‘vote chori’,” Lamba alleged.

The Congress is also conducting a nationwide signature campaign, claiming it will gather five crore endorsements against what it calls a conspiracy to weaken women’s voting power. The party has framed the deletions as a constitutional violation, accusing Prime Minister Modi and the Election Commission of collusion.

Locally, the issue could heighten tensions in districts such as Gopalganj, Saran, Begusarai, Samastipur, Bhojpur, and Purnea—areas where the margin between NDA and opposition alliances has historically been razor-thin. Political observers say this controversy might further erode public trust in electoral institutions, especially if the Commission fails to clarify its methodology transparently. For voters, the practical takeaway is to immediately verify their voter ID status online or through local BLOs before the election schedule is announced.