Former Bihar MLA Mujahid Alam has filed a petition in the Supreme Court against the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) order to conduct a “Special Intensive Revision” (SIR) of the electoral rolls in Bihar, ahead of the upcoming 18th Assembly elections.
Alam argued that the ECI’s decision violates Articles 14, 21, 325, and 326 of the Constitution. He expressed serious concerns that the move could disenfranchise thousands of voters, especially among Muslim, Dalit, and poor migrant populations in the state.
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“This special revision poses a serious threat of voter exclusion, particularly for out-migrants and vulnerable communities in Bihar,” the plea stated.
Following an urgent mentioning before the Supreme Court, several related petitions were scheduled for hearing on July 10. Alam's petition was filed through Advocate-on-Record Ujjwal Singh.
A major concern highlighted by Alam involves the Kochadhaman Assembly Constituency, where he previously served as MLA. He pointed out that 60% of the male voters in this constituency are out-migrants who have relocated to other states for employment.
“Out of 2,73,000 total voters in Kochadhaman, over 60% of male voters are migrants. It is unrealistic to expect their return within 30 days to submit enumeration forms,” Alam submitted.
He also raised alarms over the monsoon season, which typically brings heavy rains and flash floods between July to October in Bihar. This, he argued, will severely hinder the process of submitting forms and making claims or objections.
“The ongoing SIR process is rushed and poorly timed. Monsoon floods make document submission nearly impossible, affecting the fundamental right to vote under Article 326.”
Like RJD MP Manoj Jha, Alam criticized the exclusion of widely held identity documents such as Aadhaar cards, ration cards, and MNREGA job cards from the list of acceptable documents for enumeration. The petition emphasized that requiring uncommon documents could further exclude marginalized voters.
Alam also questioned the ECI’s execution of the revision process, pointing to a massive shortfall in form collection and uploads.
“While the Election Commission has distributed forms to about 94% of voters, only 14% have been collected in the first 10 days. Just 24 lakh out of 1.12 crore forms have been uploaded.”
Currently, Alam is not affiliated with any political party but was earlier associated with the JD(U). He remains a significant voice from his former constituency.
So far, four petitions have been filed in the Supreme Court against the ECI’s special electoral revision in Bihar. Other petitioners include RJD MP Manoj Jha, PUCL, Association for Democratic Reforms, activist Yogendra Yadav, and MP Mahua Moitra.
Case Title: Mujahid Alam v. Election Commission of India and Another
