Bihar, July 2025: A new voter verification process in Bihar has sparked widespread concern. Ahead of the upcoming state elections, nearly 80 million voters are being asked to re-register and prove their citizenship. If they fail to do so, they risk being removed from the voter list.
🚫 Risk of Losing Voting Rights
Those who cannot provide the required documents may be marked as “suspected foreign nationals.” This label could lead to jail, deportation, or permanent loss of voting rights.
Activists warn that this move will mostly hurt the poor, rural, and minority communities, especially Muslim voters, who often struggle to access official documents.
📣 Human Rights Concerns
Several human rights organizations have criticized the decision, saying it could lead to mass disenfranchisement where millions of legitimate Indian citizens lose their right to vote due to paperwork issues rather than actual ineligibility.
The Supreme Court of India has taken note of the issue and asked the Election Commission to reconsider the use of Aadhaar cards and EPIC (voter ID) numbers for voter verification.
However, the Court has not stopped the process, and the draft voter list is still being prepared and published.
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Democracy: Millions could be unfairly excluded from voting.
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Injustice: Many genuine citizens lack proper documents through no fault of their own.
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Urgency: Civil groups are calling for the government to protect voter rights and simplify the process.
