Rumblings Within JD-U Against SIR

Contrary to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's support for the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, which precedes the state's assembly elections later this year, one member of Parliament and one member of the legislative assembly from his ruling Janata Dal-United have criticised and questioned the exercise.

RJD leader Rabri Devi with party legislators holding placards protest against SIR (Special Intensive Revision) exercise in Bihar

IMAGE: RJD leader Rabri Devi and party legislators protest against the SIR (Special Intensive Revision) exercise in Bihar, during the monsoon session of Bihar legislative assembly, Patna, July 22, 2025. Photograph: ANI Photo

This divergence is likely to intensify political dynamics both within the party and across the state, particularly as the opposition Mahagathbandhan -- comprising the Rashtriya Janata Dal, Congress, and Left parties -- has been aggressively protesting the SIR and demanding its immediate scrapping.

Nitish Kumar, who also serves as the JD-U president and is a major ally in the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance, has publicly backed the SIR. However, Girdhari Yadav, the party's MP from Banka, and Sanjeev Kumar, a party MLA, have now raised concerns about the necessity of this exercise so close to the upcoming polls.

Leader of the Opposition in the Bihar Legislative Assembly and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav

IMAGE: Leader of the Opposition in the Bihar legislative assembly and Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav addresses a press conference against the SIR, Patna, July 23, 2025. Photograph: ANI Photo

Sanjeev Kumar, the JD-U MLA from Parbatta assembly seat, expressed strong fears that "a large number of migrant workers from his constituency will be removed from the voter list because they have not come to native villages to fill enumeration forms."

He elaborated, "There are numerous migrant workers who were not informed and approached by their families to fill enumeration forms. It is a fact that names of a large number of migrant workers will be removed from the voter list due to the ongoing SIR process. The ECI should ensure not to delete names of migrant workers."

In fact, Mahagathbandhan leaders have consistently opposed the ongoing SIR, from street protests to the state assembly. Opposition leaders have repeatedly claimed that the names of the poor, Dalits, backwards, and Muslims will be deleted as per a design to assist the ruling NDA in the next elections.

Last Tuesday, for the consecutive second day, all the opposition MLAs and MLCs protested inside and outside the state assembly during its monsoon session, all wearing black clothes.

Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav and former chief minister Rabri Devi, clad in black, voiced their opposition to the ongoing SIR, asserting it goes "against people's voting rights and democracy."