The Congress on Thursday questioned the need for a Special Investigation Report (SIR), alleging it may have been ordered at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s behest to safeguard his position and prop up the faltering NDA alliance by rigging the Bihar Assembly polls.

Citing a news report on the 2024 KAP (Knowledge, Attitude and Practices) survey conducted by the Election Commission across Bihar, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said voter lists were already “almost completely accurate.”

He added that bureaucratic hurdles and lack of awareness had prevented many eligible citizens from being included.

“The Election Commission should focus on inclusion rather than depriving citizens of their voting rights, as many respondents cited complications in obtaining their voter ID cards. It is clear that until January 2025, the commission did not feel any need to conduct a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Bihar’s voter lists,” Ramesh said.

He went on to ask if the SIR was “perhaps the plea of a prime minister desperate to secure his post and safeguard his ramshackle NDA coalition through the promise of a rigged election in Bihar.” Calling the exercise “less about refining the voter list and more like a conspiracy to undermine democracy,” Ramesh urged the EC to withdraw it.

The Supreme Court is yet to rule on the constitutional validity of the SIR, which seeks to ascertain the citizenship of people on the electoral rolls.

The Congress has launched the 'Voter Adhikar Yatra’ from Sasaram on August 17, calling the voter roll revision exercise in Bihar an attempt to “steal votes” ahead of assembly polls later this year.

The ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’ will pass through more than 20 districts, including Gaya, Nalanda, Bhagalpur, Katihar, Darbhanga, and Champaran, before concluding with a rally in Patna on September 1.