Context:

• In Bihar, democracy is silently sidelining millions of migrants. A Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the state’s electoral rolls has resulted in the deletion of nearly 3.5 million voters (4.4% of the total electorate).
  • These voters were marked as “permanently migrated” after being absent during house-to-house verification.
• For Bihar, migration is not merely economic but often a survival necessity. However, this lived reality of circular and split-family migration is being read by the state as an abandonment of voting rights.
• As a result, millions of vulnerable citizens risk permanent disenfranchisement — unable to vote either in their place of work or at home — creating a silent crisis that erodes India’s democratic inclusiveness.
• This article highlights how India’s democracy is failing its migrant citizens, with millions facing disenfranchisement due to rigid electoral systems, administrative exclusions, and migration-linked challenges.

Migrants and the Sedentary Citizen Problem

• India’s electoral system is still built around the idea of a sedentary citizen — one whose life is rooted in a fixed residence.
• Voter registration depends on proof of residence and in-person verification, making it nearly impossible for migrants, who often live in rented rooms, slums, construction sites, or even pavements, to establish eligibility.
• This structural gap is reinforced by regionalism and sub-nationalism. Migrants are frequently seen as outsiders, job competitors, or political threats in host states.
• Rising demands for domicile-based job quotas and resistance to migrant enfranchisement reflect fears of altered political outcomes.
  • Consequently, migrants are discouraged from registering in destination states.
• At the same time, many are being removed from their home-state rolls due to absence during verification.
• This has created a double exclusion — migrants are neither allowed political inclusion where they live and work, nor retained in their places of origin.
• The result is a deepening crisis of disenfranchisement for millions of migrant citizens.

Study Findings: Migrant Marginalisation in Electoral Processes

• A 2015 study by Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), funded by the Election Commission, confirmed that migrants remain largely excluded from electoral participation in host states.
• The study highlighted a triple burden faced by migrants:
  • Administrative barriers such as proof of residence requirements.
  • Digital illiteracy that prevents smooth access to online electoral services.
  • Social exclusion where migrants are viewed as outsiders or political threats.
• Crucially, the study found a direct correlation between high migration rates in source states and lower voter turnout.

Bihar’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) and Widening Democratic Deficit

• Instead of bridging the turnout gap, Bihar’s SIR initiative has worsened disenfranchisement.
• Nearly 3.5 million migrants risk losing voting rights due to absenteeism during house-to-house verification.
• Bihar already had one of the lowest average voter turnouts (53.2%) in the last four Assembly elections.
• In contrast, Gujarat (66.4%) and Karnataka (70.7%), with fewer outbound migrants, show significantly higher participation.

Migration Flows and Electoral Implications

• Mobile visitor location register data suggests an annual outflow of 7 million circular migrants from Bihar. Around 4.8 million migrate seasonally (June–September), but nearly half return for festivals such as Durga Puja, Chhath, and Deepavali.
• In election years, many such returning migrants find themselves unable to vote because their names have already been struck off the rolls.
• Without coordination between origin and destination states, this becomes systemic disenfranchisement.
• Migrants embody a dual belonging: they contribute economically in host states but remain politically tied to their origin states.
• This is now being demonised. The message is clear — absence at home during verification means loss of voting rights.

Parallel with Ration Portability Challenges

• The ‘One Nation One Ration Card’ (ONORC) scheme illustrates the same barriers faced by migrants.
• Since its 2019 launch, uptake among Bihari migrants remains limited — only 3.3 lakh households availed ration portability outside Bihar (as of May 2025).
• Key reasons include:
  • Dual residency needs (economic life in host states, entitlements in home states).
  • Fear of losing benefits if shifted.
  • Bureaucratic hurdles in destination states.
• Similarly, with voter IDs, migrants retain home-state documents for security but face exclusion where they actually live and work.

Toward Portable Voter Identity for Migrants

• The solution to migrant disenfranchisement lies in adopting portable and flexible voter identity systems that allow citizens to retain voting rights regardless of mobility.
• Instead of blanket deletions, the Election Commission should adopt a cross-verification model with destination state rolls.
• Panchayats and civil society groups must be empowered to run migrant outreach and re-registration drives.
• Replicating the Kerala model of migration surveys in high-migration states such as Bihar and Uttar Pradesh would ensure inclusive voter participation.
• Without such reforms, India risks witnessing the largest silent voter purge in its post-Independence history, disproportionately targeting the poor who migrate only for bread, dignity, and survival.