"Curiouser And Curiouser": P Chidambaram Slams Poll Body Over Bihar List

Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram has accused the Election Commission of India (ECI) of political manipulation and undermining electoral integrity. His remarks came amid controversy over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, ahead of assembly elections in the state this year. 

In a statement posted on X, Mr Chidambaram described the developments as "curiouser and curiouser," questioning both the motivation and legality of the poll body's changes in Bihar and Tamil Nadu.

"The SIR exercise is getting curiouser and curiouser. While 65 lakh voters are in danger of being disenfranchised in Bihar, reports of 'adding' 6.5 lakh persons as voters in Tamil Nadu is alarming and patently illegal," Mr Chidambaram wrote. 

According to the poll body, the reasons for these deletions included 22.34 lakh marked as dead, 36.28 lakh listed as "permanently shifted or absent," and 7.01 lakh classified as duplicate entries.

Opposition parties, particularly the Congress and the RJD, have strongly questioned these figures.

Mr Chidambaram has demanded that the poll body explain how it determined a person to be "permanently migrated" or dead, and whether documentary proof was collected from family members before making such determinations. He also called the practice "an abuse of power" and insisted it must be resisted "politically and legally."

The SIR exercise is getting curiouser and curiouser

While 65 lakh voters are in danger of being disenfranchised in Bihar, reports of "adding" 6.5 lakh persons as voters in Tamil Nadu is alarming and patently illegal

Calling them "permanently migrated" is an insult to the…

— P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) August 3, 2025

Mr Chidambaram also took aim at a parallel development in Tamil Nadu, where reports suggest 6.5 lakh migrant workers are being added to the electoral rolls. The Congress MP alleged that these additions are being done under the pretext of "permanent migration," which he termed "alarming" and "patently illegal."

"Calling them 'permanently migrated' is an insult to the migrant workers and a gross interference in the right of the electorate of Tamil Nadu to elect a government of its choice. Why should the migrant worker not return to Bihar (or his/her home state) to vote in the State Assembly election, as they usually do? Does not the migrant worker return to Bihar at the time of the Chhath puja festival?" Mr Chidambaram asked. 

Opposition parties have raised objections in both Houses of Parliament, alleging that the SIR is designed to "disenfranchise voters in Bihar" ahead of assembly polls.

"A person to be enrolled as a voter must have a fixed and permanent legal home. The migrant worker has such a home in Bihar (or another state). How can he/she be enrolled as a voter in Tamil Nadu? If the migrant worker's family has a permanent home in Bihar and lives in Bihar, how can the migrant worker be considered as "permanently migrated" to Tamil Nadu?" Mr Chidambaram added.

Among the many Opposition demands is an Assembly-segment-wise breakup of deleted voters in digital form, clarification on how many foreign nationals were previously included and whether they have now been removed, disclosure of how many enumeration forms lacked photographs or valid identification and an explanation of why Aadhaar and ration cards are being rejected as valid ID proof.

"Every Indian has a right to live and work in any state where he has a permanent home. That is obvious and right," Mr Chidambaram wrote in a follow-up post. 

Every Indian has a right to live and work in any state where he has a permanent home. That is obvious and right

How did the ECI come to the conclusion that several lakh persons, whose names are in the current electoral rolls of Bihar, must be excluded because they had…

— P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) August 3, 2025

A series of petitions challenging the SIR are currently pending before the Supreme Court. In an initial hearing, the top court has expressed concern over the possibility of "en masse exclusion" and has directed the Election Commission to include Aadhaar cards in its list of valid documents for verification purposes.

The Election Commission has also had to contend with Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, who recently alleged that the 2024 Lok Sabha elections were rigged. Speaking at a Congress event, Mr Gandhi cited a party-led survey in a Karnataka constituency that reportedly found 1.5 lakh fake votes out of 6.5 lakh total.

In a firm rebuttal, the poll body dismissed the claims as "unfounded and misleading." In a statement, the commission pointed out that electoral rolls had been shared with all political parties before the elections and were open to appeal under the Representation of the People Act. It noted that hardly any appeals were filed by the Congress across 36 states and union territories.

The Commission criticised Gandhi's rhetoric as "irresponsible," adding,  "It appears these unfounded allegations are intended to discredit the impartial and transparent work of election officials and exert undue pressure on the election machinery."

It also confirmed that it had invited Mr Gandhi for a discussion on June 12, but had received no response. "He has neither met us nor submitted a single formal complaint," it said.