A group of Opposition MPs has written to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, requesting an immediate discussion in Parliament on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls underway in Bihar. The signatories include key leaders such as Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, Congress Deputy Leader Gaurav Gogoi, DMK’s TR Baalu, Supriya Sule from NCP (SP), RSP’s N K Premachandran, SP’s Lalji Verma, TMC’s Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, Shiv Sena (UBT)’s Arvind Sawant, and RJD’s Abhay Kumar.

In their letter, the MPs expressed serious concern over the timing and conduct of the revision process, especially with assembly elections in Bihar just months away. “Such an exercise, this close to elections, is highly unusual,” they wrote, adding that the Election Commission has signaled its intent to carry out similar revisions in other states as well.

Citing widespread unease over the transparency and motivation behind the move, the MPs stressed that the matter warrants immediate parliamentary attention. They also pointed out that the issue had been repeatedly raised during the ongoing session and brought up at the recent all-party meeting held on July 20.

“Although the Government has indicated openness to discussing all issues, including this one, no date has been set so far,” the letter stated.

The lawmakers argued that any overhaul of the electoral rolls has direct consequences for voter rights and the integrity of elections. A formal discussion in the Lok Sabha, they said, would offer members a chance to seek accountability and clarity.

They urged the Speaker to allocate time for a focused debate on the matter without further delay.

Meanwhile, the Opposition continues to stage protests in both Houses, alleging that the EC’s revision drive is part of a political agenda to exclude voters in Bihar ahead of the upcoming polls. They have been demanding dedicated time in Parliament to address the issue.

The Election Commission (EC) on Friday unveiled the draft voter rolls for Bihar, following the conclusion of its month-long Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, ahead of the state’s upcoming assembly elections.

Although the EC has not shared a consolidated figure from the newly released draft, individuals can check their voter status online through the official portal.

Before the revision began in June, Bihar had 7.93 crore registered voters, according to EC data. The revised count remains undisclosed for now. Physical copies of the updated lists will be provided to political party representatives later in the day, officials confirmed.

With the publication of the draft rolls, the phase for filing claims and objections has officially begun and will remain open until September 1. During this period, voters can report issues such as wrongful deletions and seek necessary corrections.

As part of the first stage of the SIR drive, booth-level officers (BLOs) and party-nominated booth-level agents (BLAs) distributed enumeration forms to voters, who were expected to return them signed along with valid identity documents. Citizens also had the option to complete the process digitally.

The drive concluded on July 25. According to the EC, 7.23 crore people submitted their forms. Additionally, 35 lakh were found to have permanently moved away or were unreachable. Another 22 lakh were marked as deceased, and 7 lakh were flagged for being listed in more than one constituency. About 1.2 lakh voters did not return the forms at all.

This extensive revision campaign spanned 77,895 polling stations, involving over 1.60 lakh BLAs and volunteers, overseen by 243 Elector Registration Officers and nearly 3,000 assistant officials.

Meanwhile, opposition parties have raised concerns, alleging that the revision drive was politically motivated to favor the ruling NDA. Legal challenges were brought before the Supreme Court, which recently stated that the goal of such an exercise should be broad-based inclusion—not widespread removal.