Sami Ahmad, TwoCircles.net
Patna: Ruby Devi of Phulwari Sharif (Patna) came to the podium confidently, took the microphone and began narrating her woes, but soon, she was in tears. She said, with her voice chocking, “Jisko maa nahi hai, jisko baap nahin hai oo kahan se kagaz layega? Ham logon ke maa-baap bahut pahle guzar gaye.”
(One with no mother, no father, where is he/she supposed to bring their documents from? Our parents passed away a long time ago.)
After a few moments of silence, she, in her early forties, regained her composure and stated, “Anganwadi worker had asked for those papers. I do nothing. I am a homemaker. I do not have land, and we live on unauthorised government land.”
She was speaking at a ‘Jan Sunwai’ (public hearing) on the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision drive of the voter list in poll-bound Bihar. The programme was organised at the Bihar Industries Association Hall in Patna on July 21, 2025.
Ruby was allegedly told that if her name was struck off the voter list, she would not receive government ration and other benefits meant for the poor.
Many men and women like her are caught in the document-hunting web created by the controversial SIR exercise across the state, affecting especially the poor communities. Around two dozen such affected persons gave their testimonies before the panel at the ‘Jan Sunwai’. They had come to Patna from various parts of the state to share their difficulties.
The panel included former judges and bureaucrats, academicians, politicians and activists such as Wajahat Habibullah (ex-chief information commissioner), Anjana Prakash (former Patna High Court judge), Professor D.N. Diwakar (former director, A.N. Sinha Institute), Jean Drèze (economist), Professor Nandini Sundar (sociologist), Nadeem Khan (activist and secretary of the Association of Protection of Civil Rights), Yogendra Yadav (social and political activist) and Bhanwar Meghwanshi (social activist).
Sixty-year-old Sumitra Devi from Saharsa had a similar story. She told the panel, “My mummy-pappa died when I was a child. How can I give their date of birth and certificates?”
She recalled what the Booth Level Officer (BLO) reportedly told her, “Agar kagaz nahin jama hoga tou tum sarkar ka log nahin hoga.”
(If you do not submit he papers, you will not be included in the government list and will lose the benefits.)
She said she told the BLO, “Ham kahan se lawenge jati praman patra, awasiya praman patra aur janam patri?”
(From where will I get caste and domicile certificates and birth certificate?)
“If the government will not keep us here, we will move to wherever we can get a place,” the visibly shaken Sumitra said.
Female voters, especially those with limited awareness, are finding it difficult to produce their parental documents, as many now live in their spouse’s village.
Ishaque from Katihar told the panel, “Master saheb (teachers who have been deputed as BLOs) asked for Rs 100 for filling my forms. I gave my thumb impression on the form.”
He lives on government land but has no documents. He said the BLO allegedly told him that if he did not pay the money, his form would not be filled.
One BLO was suspended after a video went viral in which he was seen asking for money in exchange for filling out the form.
Munni Devi from Narpatganj (Araria district) said, “My husband and father-in-law are migrant labourers. Their papers are still not filled. I provided their Aadhaar cards, but their forms were not filled.”
She expressed fear that if their names are not included, they will not get the government ration.
Umesh Ravidas from Kochas (Rohtas district) told the panel that when he received the enumeration form, it was time to go to the field for farming. “I was not told by the BLO how to fill the form. We do not know what was there in the form. Somebody filled my form. This is a challenge for my entire village,” he said.
Fifty-five-year-old Govind Paswan of Saharsa narrated his struggle to get the enumeration form filled. “I work at a distance. When I returned, I was told by someone that I needed to fill out the form and submit documents and photos.”
He was allegedly asked to provide documents of his in-laws for verification of credentials of his wife as a voter. “I told him my saas-sasur (in-laws) are no more. How can I give their papers?” he said.
Govind said that out of four members of the family, forms for three were given, but one form was missing.
According to the Election Commission, as of June 24, 2025, Bihar had 7,89,69, 844 voters. On July 22, it claimed that enumeration forms for over 90 percent of voters had been filled. However, it also stated that over 52 lakh voters were found missing, including more than 26 lakh reported to have been “permanently shifted”.
The panel highlighted that the Election Commission’s SIR process was severely affecting marginalised communities in Bihar. It was pointed out that the process was not a revision, but rather an exercise to prepare a fresh voter list.
A common grievance was that voters were not given any acknowledgement of submission of their forms. There is widespread fear about what will happen after August 1, when the draft roll of the voter list will be published, as the demand for documents will intensify after that.
