Tamil Nadu officials and the DMK have sought clarification after the Election Commission listed a “Bihar SIR electoral roll extract” as valid ID proof for voter verification in the state.
The party asked how an electoral document from Bihar could be used in Tamil Nadu’s voter list revision, calling it irregular and potentially misleading.
Election officers said the Bihar extract is only meant for identification of migrants originally registered in Bihar and does not automatically qualify anyone for inclusion in Tamil Nadu’s rolls.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has included an item described as the “Extract of the electoral roll of Bihar SIR with reference to July 1, 2025” among the 13 types of documents eligible for identity verification during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists in Tamil Nadu and eight other states plus three union territories.
The ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) has formally written to state Chief Electoral Officer Archana Patnaik, questioning how a Bihar electoral‐roll extract is relevant for inclusion of voters in Tamil Nadu. The party asked: “What the electoral roll of Bihar has to do with the SIR to be conducted in Tamil Nadu?”
Polling officials in Tamil Nadu, speaking on the condition of anonymity, indicated that the document is meant only as one of the options to prove identity or residence for someone who wishes to be added to Tamil Nadu’s rolls despite originally being listed in Bihar. They stressed that it does not automatically confer eligibility for inclusion in Tamil Nadu’s voter list.
