In a functioning democracy, every political party has the right to contest or boycott an election. But when that boycott is threatened not in protest of injustice but seemingly to shield a legacy of electoral malpractice, it raises serious concerns about intent, integrity, and commitment to the Constitution.
That’s exactly what appears to be happening in Bihar, where Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav has ominously hinted at a potential boycott of the upcoming Assembly elections. His reason? The Election Commission of India’s (ECI) ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls.
In a brazen attempt to cast doubt over a legally mandated and constitutionally supported exercise, Yadav has instead exposed his party’s fear of fair elections. Let’s put the facts on the table. The SIR, which is being carried out across Bihar, is not some arbitrary political move—it is the ECI’s constitutional duty under Article 324 of the Indian Constitution to ensure free and fair elections. The Supreme Court itself has upheld the EC’s mandate and methodology.
The revision is backed not only by law but also by necessity. And the data speaks for itself. Out of 7.89 crore voters in Bihar, enumeration forms have been collected from 6.6 crore—a staggering 88% of the total electorate.
This is not a witch hunt; it is a clean-up operation long overdue. The ECI has identified and excluded over 35 lakh names, including 12.5 lakh deceased voters, 17.3 lakh who have permanently moved out, and nearly 6 lakh duplicate entries.
These are not speculative numbers—they are hard, verified facts. Even more damning is the revelation that foreign nationals—some from Nepal, Bangladesh, and Myanmar—were found on the voter rolls. The EC, to its credit, is ensuring due process by verifying before deleting these names.
But the very presence of these entries exposes a rot in the electoral system, and the strong possibility that parties like the RJD may have benefited from such illegal entries in past elections. And here’s where the fear kicks in.
A revised, cleaned-up electoral roll makes for a fair contest—no more ghost voters, no more double entries, no more illegal migrants quietly voting under political patronage. The political arithmetic of some parties seems to collapse the moment transparency enters the equation. So, instead of welcoming the SIR, Tejashwi Yadav now talks of a boycott. If that’s not a tacit admission of defeat even before a single vote is cast, what is?
This story doesn’t end in Bihar. In West Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, rattled by the EC’s decision to carry out a similar revision exercise, has gone a step further, threatening the Election Commission itself. She has warned of consequences if the EC “crosses the line.”
That “line” in her mind, perhaps, is removing illegal voters who form a crucial part of her electoral base. Let’s be blunt—if your path to power depends on dead voters, duplicate voters, or foreign nationals, you don’t deserve to be in power. And if a fair electoral process triggers threats and boycott calls, it only exposes how deeply some parties have been invested in subverting democracy.
Ironically, these very parties cry foul about the ECI’s independence when it suits them, but threaten its autonomy when it performs its core function. It’s important to note that the ECI has gone the extra mile to ensure inclusiveness—it has enabled online submissions, door-to-door enumeration, and even provisions for those temporarily outside the state.
The opposition’s discomfort is not with the ECI’s methods, but with its effectiveness. The days of rigged rolls and manufactured mandates may be ending, and for parties that thrived in that environment, the writing on the wall is clear. Should Tejashwi Yadav or Mamata Banerjee decide to boycott polls because they can no longer rig them, so be it. Democracy will not mourn their absence. Their exit might just be the cleansing Indian democracy desperately needs. Let the elections be clean—and let the cowards sit it out.
