New Delhi: As Election Commission of India’s (ECI) electoral roll revision (Special Intensive Revision-SIR) drive is progressing smoothly in the poll-bound state of Bihar, the number of applications for acquiring residency certificate has gone up manifold in Bihar’s Kishanganj district.
According to state’s deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, the administration in Kishanganj was receiving around 25-27 thousand residency applications on monthly basis, however the numbers have increased manifold in the first 7 days of July.
Choudhary informed that over 2 lakhs residency certificate applications have been received in the first week of (1-7) July only, marking a tenfold increase. The surge in applications has raised speculations about possible attempt of infiltration by Bangladeshis.
He added that instructions have been given to officials to issue certificates only after intensive scrutiny of the application.
Choudhary further underscored that the ECI has asked for documents from the list of 11 indicative documents out of which 10 type of documents such as land deeds, Passport, OBC, EBC or SC, ST certificates cannot be obtained quickly, it has a whole process, though residency certificates can be obtained easily.
He expressed concern over the development, stressing that the surge in application is not in all other districts but only in Kishanganj and Muzaffarpur to some extent.
“सिर्फ 6 दिनों में किशनगंज में आवासीय प्रमाण पत्र के लिए लाखों आवेदन आना यह साफ संकेत देता है कि यहां बड़ी संख्या में घुसपैठिए मौजूद हैं।”
– माननीय उपमुख्यमंत्री श्री @samrat4bjp जी pic.twitter.com/rDOWUktbw7
— BJP Bihar (@BJP4Bihar) July 9, 2025
“The surge in application in Kishanganj is a matter for concern as Bangladeshis or other outsiders are trying to settle there, therefore proper scrutiny will be done there,” added Choudhary.
100 plus Aadhar saturation in several districts of Seemanchal
Echoing Choudhary’s view, BJP MP Sanjay Jaiswal too expressed similar concern claiming that an intensive revision drive will expose the Banladeshis and Rohingyas settlers and will lead to their removal from the voter list. Jaiswal also trained guns on the opposition leaders, alleging that they want these voters to remain in the list.
Addressing a press conference in the state capital Patna, Jaiswal questioned that if such an exercise can be completed in 31 days under the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) rule in 2003, why it cannot be carried out today? He reminded that the revision exercise have taken place in 1965 and 1983.
Pointing out at the media reports, Jaiswal further claimed that Aadhar saturation in Araria and Kishanganj districts are over 100 per cent indicating that the number of cards issued in the district are more than the population.
Meanwhile BJP’s in-charge of IT department, Amit Malviya too raised concern over the uneven saturation of Aadhar in state’s Seemanchal region. Listing the statistics related to Aadhar saturation of a number of districts on X, Malviya said “While Bihar’s average Aadhar saturation stands at 94 per cent, the number from Muslim-dominated districts are shocking.”
Something doesn’t add up 🤷♂️
While Bihar’s average Aadhaar saturation stands at 94%, the numbers from Muslim-dominated districts are shocking.
Kishanganj (68% Muslim population) – 126% Aadhaar saturation
Katihar (44%) – 123%
Araria (43%) – 123%
Purnia (38%) – 121%That means… pic.twitter.com/FEFasmuNYC
— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) July 9, 2025
“Who are these extra Aadhar cards being issued to-and why?” Questioned Malviya.
ECI electoral revision drive
EC is carrying out a voter revision drive in the state aiming to roll out a fresh and updated voter list by September this year. The commission’s move to overhaul the voter list however has sparked a major political row with opposition leaders hitting the streets and filing petitions against the exercise.
The NDA leaders on the other hand have supported the ECI move to conduct a intensive revision in the state, stating that the exercise will prevent fake voting and protect the right of real voters.
The commission has stated that the ongoing drive is being conducted strictly under constitutional provisions and aimed at ensuring that every eligible voter name shall be included in the updated list along removal of ineligible voters entries at the same time.
✅सशक्त जनतंत्र के लिए शुद्ध मतदाता सूची अनिवार्य है
✅बिहार में चल रहे #SIR अभियान के तहत बिहार के मतदाताओं की उत्साहपूर्ण भागीदारी से अब तक 57 % से भी अधिक फॉर्म सफलतापूर्वक जमा किए जा चुके हैं
“भारत निर्वाचन आयोग हमेशा से मतदाताओं के साथ खड़ा था, खड़ा है और खड़ा रहेगा” pic.twitter.com/vWJIdwKSw0
— Election Commission of India (@ECISVEEP) July 9, 2025
Taking to X, the commission in a post on Wednesday said, “A pure voter list is essential for a strong democracy. Under the ongoing SIR campaign in Bihar, enthusiastic participation of Bihar’s voters has led to more than 57 per cent of forms being successfully submitted so far.
“The Election Commission of India has always stood with voters, stand with them, and will continue to stand with them,” added the post.
