Key Opposition parties hailed the Supreme Court’s verdict on the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar as a “victory for democracy” and a check on the Election Commission.

Congress general secretary (organisation) K.C. Venugopal posted on X: “The Hon’ble Supreme Court’s ruling on the Bihar SIR matter is a massive victory for democracy, and a huge message for the Vote Chors who tried to use the SIR to distort the electoral process in Bihar.

“As one of the petitioners in this case, it is heartening that in unequivocal terms, the Court has ordered that machine-readable electoral rolls be made available — in line with one of the central demand(s) of Rahul Ji’s press conference (on August 7).”

He added: “The Court rejecting the ECI’s decision to not accept Aadhaar is also a major boost, since in a state like Bihar, Aadhaar is the most widely held document by the poor and marginalised.

“We see this as an important first step in our fight against the draconian and disastrous SIR process. Our fight to expose the ECI’s malpractices and complicity in vote rigging will continue with renewed vigour.”

The BJP tried to project the verdict as a loss for the Congress.

Party president J.P. Nadda posted on X: “Congress tried every trick and deceit to stop SIR but they had to face disappointment in the Supreme Court today.

“Now, in sheer desperation, Congress is clutching at non-issues and parading them as ‘moral victories’…. Congress has yet again lost the case and lost the plot.”

CPM general secretary M.A. Baby was cautious in his comments on the verdict.

He posted on X: “The Supreme Court’s directive on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) provides partial relief, mandating that the Election Commission (EC) publish a list of 65 lakh excluded voters along with reasons for their exclusion, in a searchable format…. However, the debate over SIR extends beyond mere revision, raising concerns about systemic sabotage in the voters’ list that could undermine democracy.”

Trinamool said in an X post: "This is a much-needed step towards transparency, accountability, and the protection of voters’ rights. For too long, the EC has functioned without adequate public scrutiny. This landmark order ensures that citizens can finally see, question, and challenge wrongful deletions."