Bihar SIR must ensure disability inclusion

It is when persons with disabilities are rightfully counted, included and catered to, that their concerns will be highlighted as citizens

- Akshay Jain, Akeel Usmani & Ananya Sharma

The ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar is an extensive exercise to update voter lists through verification of existing voter information, removal of deceased or ineligible voters, and correcting errors. Several concerns have been raised about SIR regarding wrongful deletion of voters, and especially its effect on poor and marginalised communities.

Many have talked about migrant labourers, women and Dalit groups being excluded from the exercise. Yet, such arguments do not highlight how people with disabilities are being included and counted. According to the Election Commission of India (ECI) 2024 data, Bihar has 7,45,937 voters with disabilities — 0.95% of the total voter population of the state. This includes 4,51,643 male, 2,94,255 female and 39 transgender voters with disabilities. Lack of targeted outreach towards these voters by any party or the ECI, raises a crucial question around inclusion of disability in the political process. Do they remain invisible casualties of a system that often overlooks their most basic needs?

Data on voters with disabilities