"Serious issue": Karti Chidambaram amid row over SIR in Bihar

New Delhi [India] August 5 : Amid the row over the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar, Congress MP Karti Chidambaram termed the exercise a "serious issue" and claimed that migrant workers from Bihar were registered as "voters" in Tamil Nadu.
On Bihar SIR, Chidambaram told ANI on Monday, "It is a very serious issue. The Election Commission has said that 65 lakh voters have been removed from Bihar for various reasons, and also said that out of these 65 lakh people, 6.5 lakh voters are now registered in Tamil Nadu. How does this happen? I can't believe that 6.5 lakh people/migrant workers from Bihar are permanent residents in Tamil Nadu. This is diabolical. We will never allow this kind of forced changing of the character of Tamil Nadu's electoral constituencies."
The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Monday said that zero claims and objections have been filed by political parties since the publication of the draft electoral roll on August 1.
"From 1 August 2025 (3 PM) till 4 August (3 PM), all political parties put together have filed zero claims and objections for the addition of the names of eligible electors and deletion of the names of ineligible electors. 1927 electors have directly filed claims and objections," the poll panel said in a press note.
"As per rules, the Claims and Objections are to be disposed by the concerned ERO/AERO after the expiry of 7 days," it added.
The poll panels said that as per SIR orders, no name can be deleted from the draft list published on August 1, 2025 without passing a speaking order by the ERO/AERO after conducting an enquiry and after giving a fair and reasonable opportunity.
On Friday, ECI released the draft electoral rolls for Bihar, following the completion of the Enumeration Phase under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) 2025. It said the public has one month to submit claims and objections, assuring that "no name will be removed from the draft voter list without a stated reason".
The poll panel said that l.60 lakh Booth Level Agents (BLAs) nominated by District Presidents of 12 political parties actively participated in the process on the ground.
The commission enabled electors to verify their names through the official link using their EPIC numbers. They were also allowed to file claims and objections for inclusion or deletion of names through the same portal.
In a drive to ensure accurate and updated voter identity cards, the ECI urged all voters to submit new photographs to their Booth Level Officers (BLOs) by September 1, 2025.
The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar has sparked a political row, with the opposition INDIA bloc alleging that the revision process could lead to the deletion of a large number of voters.
According to data from the revision exercise in Bihar, around 35 lakh electors have either migrated permanently or could not be traced at their registered addresses.