Bihar Bandh on 9 July: INDIA Bloc turns SIR into test of democracy

In what could be a defining moment for the democratic process in Bihar and for India, the Opposition INDIA bloc has announced a Bihar bandh on 9 July, in protest against the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the Narendra Modi-led Union government over the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the state's electoral rolls.

Over the past week or so, SIR has become a major cause for conflict in Bihar between the ruling JD(U)-led NDA alliance and the RJD-led INDIA bloc.

Notably, the bandh call came just a day after the ECI issued a clarification saying the SIR was ordered in 2024 to ensure that only eligible voters remained on the rolls.

The ECI also clarified that electoral registration officers (EROs) will accept documents during the claims and objections phase — a response meant to assuage concerns, but one that clearly hasn’t cut ice with the Opposition. Instead, the INDIA bloc has decided to go for a high-pitched, high-risk confrontation.

Congress MP and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, who has visited Bihar several times in recent months, is expected to take part in the protest, signalling just how crucial the state is in the Congress' post-2024 strategy.

The CPI(M-L)’s Dipankar Bhattacharya, a grassroots mobiliser with strong influence among working class and poor voters, is also likely to participate. RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, spearheading the coordination for the upcoming Bihar assembly elections, has declared a ‘chakka jam’ on 9 July.

"A deep conspiracy of vote suppression (is on) in Bihar. The game of deleting votes of Dalits, backward, extremely backward, and minorities, and adding fake votes has begun. Modi-Nitish are determined to crush the Constitution and democracy and to snatch your voting rights through the Election Commission. These people, seeing a direct defeat, have now become frantic. When the voter's vote itself is eliminated, what democracy and Constitution will remain?" Tejashwi posted in Hindi on X.

In one of the sharpest attacks yet, the state's former deputy chief minister accused the ECI’s Patna office of functioning "like a post office", lacking any authority or will to act independently.

The jibe, as per Bihar watchers, reflects a growing sentiment in opposition circles — that the once-revered Election Commission is now being reduced to a rubber stamp under central pressure. The comment also taps into a broader anxiety about institutional erosion — a key talking point in the INDIA bloc’s narrative.

Expectedly,  the most emotionally charged attack came from Tejashwi's father and RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav, who took to X to accuse “two Gujaratis” — read Prime Minister Narendra Modi and home minister Amit Shah — of conspiring to snatch away voting rights of 8 crore Biharis.

“These two Gujaratis are opposed to Bihar, the Constitution, and Indian democracy,” Lalu wrote, urging people to “arise, raise your voice, and save democracy”.

The message hit hard — drawing both admiration and anger — and has become a rallying cry for the bandh. While Lalu remains physically frail, his digital presence has reinserted him into the political discourse.

The ECI now finds itself in a tight spot — stuck between insisting on procedural integrity and facing accusations of complicity.

For the INDIA bloc, the bandh is a calculated political move: it allows the alliance to project itself as the defender of democracy, the Constitution, and the voter.

If the bandh succeeds, it could reset the political climate in Bihar, and may even lead to the fall of the Nitish Kumar government. The battle for Bihar’s future may begin with its voter list. But it won’t end there.