Hindi English Translation || Editorial || Careful curation: On Bihar’s Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls

Careful curation: On Bihar’s Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls

Bihar’s electoral roll revision risks excluding short-term migrant voters

Bihar’s ongoing Special Intensive (गहन, तीव्र) Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls by the Election Commission of India (ECI) has drawn criticism from political parties, and rightly so. The enormity (भीषणता, विकरालता) of the task, the short duration, and the strict criteria for verification could result in the wrongful exclusion (बहिष्करण, निष्कासन) of lakhs of voters. The ECI’s statement that only ordinary residents would qualify for inclusion in the electoral roll has raised concerns, particularly among Opposition parties. Critics argue that it would be difficult for migrant (प्रवासी) voters — an estimated 20% of Bihar’s voting population — to be present for verification during the window that ends on July 31, and creates a high probability (संभावना) that they could be struck off the rolls. The Representation of the People Act, 1950 states that “A person absenting himself temporarily from his place of ordinary residence shall not by reason thereof cease to be ordinarily resident therein”, and manuals on electoral rolls add that such people will be treated as ordinary residents as long as they possess the ability and intention (इरादा, उद्देश्य) to return. This means that there must be caution in removing the names of migrants, especially those who are away from their place of residence for a short period.

The issue becomes more complicated with long-term migrants. In Bihar’s case, there is a significant section of the voting-age population, especially males, migrating for work. This becomes evident when parsing voting data from the 2024 general election in the State, revealing a unique electoral dynamic. Bihar is a State where more women turned out to vote than men in absolute numbers (for every 1,000 men there were 1,017.5 women ), even though there were more registered male electors on the rolls (for every 1,000 men, there were only 917.5 women). This electoral dynamic was observed in Jharkhand, and to a lesser extent in Himachal Pradesh, but nowhere was the difference starker (More severe or harsh; more sharply delineated; more bare or simple) than in Bihar. There is good reason to believe that many of the absentee male electors were registered in their home constituencies in Bihar but were unable to return on polling day, drastically (अत्यधिक कठोर) lowering the overall turnout rate for men. These electors were likely part of a large migrant cohort that included many longer-term migrants. The SIR must carefully parse such electors and ensure that only longer-term migrants are removed from the rolls — not an easy task. For longer-term migrants, meaningful representation requires their vote to be registered where they currently reside and work. Migrant workers are integral (अभिन्न, आवश्यक) to the economic engines of several States, and their political voice should be more impactful (प्रभावशाली) in holding representatives accountable for their everyday challenges there, rather than in their native (मूलनिवासी, स्वदेशी) places. The ECI’s SIR must balance these principles. Ideally, such a process should take more time than the one month that the ECI has allocated for it.

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.Intensive (Adjective)

Hindi Meaning - गहन, तीव्र
English Meaning - (Of a course of study or training) concentrated on a single subject or into a short time; (of agriculture or other economic activity) aiming to maximize output.

2.Enormity (Noun)

Hindi Meaning - भीषणता, विकरालता
English Meaning - The quality of being extremely wicked or immoral; a grave crime or sin.

3.Exclusion (Noun)

Hindi Meaning - बहिष्करण, निष्कासन
English Meaning - The process or state of excluding or being excluded.

4.Probability (Noun)

Hindi Meaning - संभावना
English Meaning - The extent to which something is likely to happen or be the case.

5.Intention (Noun)

Hindi Meaning - इरादा, उद्देश्य
English Meaning - A plan or aim; an aim or purpose.

6.Migrant (Noun)

Hindi Meaning - प्रवासी
English Meaning - A person who moves from one place to another, especially in order to find work or better living conditions.

7.Drastic (Adjective)

Hindi Meaning - अत्यधिक कठोर
English Meaning - (Of an action or change) likely to have a strong or far-reaching effect; severe or extreme.

8.Impactful (Adjective)

Hindi Meaning - प्रभावशाली
English Meaning - Having a strong effect on someone or something.

9.Native (Adjective)

Hindi Meaning - मूलनिवासी, स्वदेशी
English Meaning - Associated with the place of a person's birth, whether as a resident or citizen; belonging to a person by birth.

10.Integral (Adjective)

Hindi Meaning - अभिन्न, आवश्यक
English Meaning - Necessary to make a whole complete; fundamental or essential.

11.Curation (Noun)

English Meaning - The action or process of selecting, organizing, and looking after the items in a collection or exhibition; the careful selection and organization of content for an audience.

12.Starker (Adjective)

English Meaning - More severe or harsh; more sharply delineated; more bare or simple.