Rapid Exclusion of Muslims from Voter List, Campaign to Strip Democratic Rights Intensifies in India

Under the Hindutva agenda, in Bihar, a large number of Muslims, Dalits, and poor people have been excluded from the voter list under the pretext of the Standardisation and Inclusion/Removal (SIR) process.

According to a report by The Tribune India, voters’ names have been removed on a large scale from Muslim-majority districts in Bihar. Minority-populated areas have seen an unusually high number of voter deletions. According to the Election Commission, the highest number of voters have been removed from the rolls in 10 districts of Bihar.

The Tribune India reports that in Muslim-majority districts like Madhubani, East Champaran, Purnia, and Sitamarhi, thousands of names are missing from the voter list. The opposition alleges that the SIR process is being used to deliberately remove minorities and the poor from the electoral rolls. In Madhubani, 352,545 potential voters were excluded due to non-submission of required forms.

In East Champaran, 316,793 forms were not returned; in Purnia, 273,920; and in Sitamarhi, 244,962 — all leading to possible exclusion from the voter list. Other affected districts include Patna, Gaya, Gopalganj, Saran, Muzaffarpur, and Samastipur.

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