Owaisi (Source: Social Media)
National News: All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi has raised serious concerns over the Election Commission’s intentions behind the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list ahead of this year’s Bihar Assembly elections. He alleged that the SIR exercise is a backdoor attempt to implement the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and accused the Commission of exceeding its constitutional mandate.
Addressing a press conference on Monday, Owaisi strongly criticized the EC, stating, “Who has given the Election Commission the authority to decide who is a citizen and who is not? It is unfortunate that no official clarification is being issued by this constitutional body, and information is only being leaked through unidentified sources. Who are these sources?”
Owaisi claimed that his party, AIMIM, was the first to identify the SIR process as “NRC in disguise.” He asserted that this initiative lacks constitutional legitimacy and is politically motivated.
As per Election Commission data, a total of 66,067,208 Enumeration Forms (EFs)—accounting for 83.66% of Bihar’s voters—have already been collected during the two-phase SIR campaign. The forms were gathered by BLOs (Booth Level Officers) through door-to-door visits.
Owaisi urged his supporters to meet with BLOs and present their documents. He alleged that the Seemanchal region, which has a large Muslim population, is being selectively targeted under this campaign.
“The Election Commission is not authorized to certify citizenship—that responsibility lies with the Ministry of Home Affairs. What the Commission is doing seems like an attempt to intimidate Seemanchal’s voters ahead of the November elections,” he said.
He also referred to the SIR conducted in Bihar in 2003, asking how many so-called "foreign nationals" were identified then and whether any official data was ever released.
The Supreme Court recently intervened in the matter. On July 10, it allowed the Election Commission to proceed with the SIR process but recommended that Aadhaar cards, ration cards, and voter IDs be accepted as valid identification documents during verification.
With assembly elections expected in Bihar by the end of 2025, a direct contest is anticipated between the ruling NDA and the opposition INDIA alliance. In this politically sensitive atmosphere, Owaisi’s remarks have added a new layer of controversy to the SIR process.
His allegations have turned what was seen as a technical electoral revision into a constitutional debate. As the issue gains momentum, the political discourse is likely to intensify. All eyes are now on the Election Commission’s official response and how other political parties choose to engage with the matter.
Copyright © 2025 Top Indian News
