The ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Bihar’s electoral rolls in 2025 has led to the removal of nearly 3.5 million migrant voters. This accounts for 4.4% of the state’s total electorate. These migrants, labelled as permanently migrated due to their absence during house-to-house verification, now face permanent exclusion from voting both at their workplaces and home constituencies. This crisis exposes deep flaws in India’s electoral system and threatens the democratic rights of millions who migrate for survival and economic reasons.
Context of Migration and Electoral Exclusion
Bihar’s economy heavily relies on out-migration. Many families are split between home and destination states. Migrants often live in informal housing without proper documentation. The electoral system, based on fixed residence and in-person verification, fails to accommodate this reality. Consequently, migrants are often removed from electoral rolls if absent during verification drives. This creates a large disenfranchised population unable to vote either in their home state or destination.
Electoral Infrastructure and Migrant Challenges
India’s voter registration depends on proof of residence and physical verification. Migrants frequently lack official documents at their workplaces. Regionalism and sub-nationalism intensify exclusion, as migrants are viewed as outsiders or job competitors. Host states resist migrant voter registration fearing electoral impact. This results in migrants being stuck—excluded from both origin and destination voter lists.
Impact of the Special Intensive Revision in Bihar
The SIR initiative has widened the democratic gap by deleting millions of migrant voters. Bihar’s voter turnout is already low at 53.2%, compared to 66.4% in Gujarat and 70.7% in Karnataka. Annually, about seven million circular migrants leave Bihar, with many returning during festivals. However, many returnees will be unable to vote due to removal from rolls. Lack of coordination between origin and destination states worsens this disenfranchisement.
Study Findings on Migrant Electoral Participation
A study by the Tata Institute of Social Sciences marks three barriers for migrants – administrative hurdles, digital illiteracy, and social exclusion. It also finds that higher migration correlates with lower voter turnout in origin states. Instead of bridging this gap, the current electoral revision has deepened it, undermining democratic participation for migrants.
Dual Residency and Political Identity Issues
Migrants maintain dual identities—economic in host states and political in home states. Fear of losing entitlements and bureaucratic difficulties discourage registration transfers. This dual belonging is increasingly demonised by authorities. Migrants are told that absence during verification equates to loss of voting rights, ignoring the realities of their mobility and livelihoods.
Cross-border and Gendered Dimensions
Along the India-Nepal border, migration is intertwined with cultural and marital ties. New documentation norms threaten the citizenship and voting rights of cross-border migrants, particularly women. This disenfranchisement reflects broader issues of xenophobia and gender bias in electoral policies.
Need for Electoral Reform and Portable Identity Systems
India must adopt flexible, portable voter identity systems. The Election Commission should stop blanket deletions and coordinate cross-verification with destination states. Local governance bodies should be empowered for migrant outreach and re-registration. Replicating Kerala’s migration survey model in high migration states like Bihar can improve inclusion. Without reforms, India risks a historic disenfranchisement of millions of vulnerable migrant voters.
Questions for UPSC:
- Critically discuss the challenges of migrant voter disenfranchisement in India and analyse the impact of internal migration on democratic participation.
- Examine the role of regionalism and sub-nationalism in shaping electoral policies and their implications for social cohesion and political representation.
- What are the administrative and technological barriers to implementing portable voter identity systems in India? Evaluate their potential benefits and challenges.
- Point out the gendered and cross-border dimensions of citizenship and electoral rights in the context of migration along the India-Nepal border.
