In a shocking development ahead of the upcoming assembly elections in Bihar, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has found a “large number” of foreign nationals from Nepal, Bangladesh, and Myanmar living in the state. Not only this, these illegal migrants have managed to get Indian documents such as Aadhaar, domicile certificates, and ration cards through illegal channels!

The foreign nationals were identified during a door-to-door verification drive as part of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voters’ list in Bihar. The intensive survey is part of a special exercise aimed at identifying and removing illegal foreign nationals from electoral rolls across India.

This comes amid recent crackdowns on illegal migrants, particularly people from Bangladesh and Myanmar to several Indian states where concerns over border infiltration remain high.

Findings emerged from ground reports submitted by BLOs

According to officials from the Election Commission, these findings have emerged from ground reports submitted by booth-level officers (BLOs) who are currently carrying out house-to-house visits across the state. According to sources, the irregularities were flagged by Booth Level Officers (BLOs) during household visits.

The Election Commission has taken serious note of the matter and announced that a detailed inquiry will be conducted between August 1 and August 30. If the allegations are found to be true, the names of such people will not be included in the final electoral roll, scheduled to be published on September 30, 2025.

What is being done under Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voters’ list in Bihar?

The Election Commission of India (ECI) commenced the SIR on June 25, after issuing a directive on June 24. The goal is to clean up the voter lists by removing ineligible names and making sure only Indian citizens are registered. This process will continue until July 26.

As part of the SIR, the ECI asked all voters to submit identity documents, including proof of Indian citizenship. Over 77,000 Booth Level Officers (BLOs), along with government workers and political party members, are checking the details of more than 7.8 crore registered voters across Bihar. Both current and new voters have been asked to show documents proving they are Indian citizens. The final electoral roll is set to be published on September 30, after a thorough verification process is completed post-August 1.

“With 77,895 BLOs, an additional 20,603 newly appointed BLOs on the ground, ECI is moving ahead to complete the collection of Enumeration Forms (EFs) before the stipulated time of 25th July 2025. Field-level teams, including 38 District Election Officers (DEOs), Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) across all 243 Assembly Constituencies, and 963 Assistant EROs (AEROs), are being closely monitored by the CEO for this purpose,” the ECI said.

Additionally, over 1.5 lakh Booth Level Agents (BLAs) from various political parties are also involved in the verification process to ensure no eligible voter is left out.

Supreme Court’s instruction to Election Commission

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court on Thursday directed the Election Commission to treat Aadhaar, voter ID, and ration cards as valid documents for verification in the SIR process. While the apex court did not pause the exercise launched on June 24, it said it had “serious doubts” that the task could be completed in time without excluding genuine voters and granting people the right to appeal before the polls.

Now the truth is out: BJP reacts

Taking a jibe at the development, BJP leader Amit Malviya wrote in Hindi on X, “The voter list in Bihar has been found to include names of foreign citizens from countries like Bangladesh, Myanmar, and Nepal. This revelation came during the Special Intensive Revision. RJD, Congress, Leftists, and their drum-beating journalists turned YouTubers, NGOs, and so-called legal activists were continuously pressuring to include such names in the list. Now the truth is out. Is this their vote bank model?”

“In 2003, when the last Special Intensive Revision took place in Bihar, the state was governed by the RJD, with Rabri Devi as the Chief Minister, though Lalu Prasad was indirectly dominating the power. Now it’s becoming clear how the names of foreigners got included in the voter rolls. It’s also evident why the champions of secularism from Delhi to Patna are so troubled!” the BJP Co-incharge of West Bengal wrote in a separate X post.