Amid the political controversy over the Election Commission's decision to carry out a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in Bihar, the poll body on Wednesday posted Article 326 of the Constitution on its social media accounts.

The dispute revolves around the Election Commission's move to update the voter list in Bihar, where assembly elections are expected later this year, with opposition parties objecting to the timing of the decision.

In a post shared on X, the Election Commission referred to Article 326 of the Constitution, which says that all eligible citizens should be included in the electoral roll, and those who are not eligible must be removed.

On June 24, the Election Commission issued a notice to begin the Special Intensive Revision of the electoral rolls in Bihar and said that the voter list would be freshly prepared before the elections.

As criticism continued to grow, the state election office on Sunday eased the rules by relaxing the requirements for submitting voter forms. Now, voters are allowed to submit completed forms even without the required documents, which can be provided at a later time.

In an advertisement published in a Hindi-language daily, the office of the Bihar Chief Electoral Officer urged voters to give their filled and signed forms to Booth-Level Officers even if they do not have the required documents at the time.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday joined a protest rally in Patna against the ongoing Special Intensive Revision of the voter list, which was organised by the opposition as part of the Bihar Bandh.

He was accompanied by RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, CPI ML Liberation general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, CPI general secretary D Raja, and other leaders of the Mahagathbandhan alliance.

Rahul Gandhi, who arrived in Patna earlier in the day, led the protest with other senior opposition leaders and raised questions about the timing and purpose of the voter list revision.

On Gandhi's participation, Bihar Congress president Rajesh Ram said, "Whenever there has been a crisis in the country, Rahul Gandhi has battled on the streets. Today, voting is on the cusp of being prohibited, we are battling for it, and Rahul Gandhi is here for it."

Independent MP from Purnea, Rajesh Ranjan, also known as Pappu Yadav, reached the Sachiwalay Halt railway station with his supporters and tried to stop train services as part of the Bihar Bandh demonstrations.

While speaking to the media in Patna, he said, "The Election Commission, by its special intensive revision of voters' rolls, is stealing voting rights of migrants, Dalits, Mahadalits, and poor voters. It's a conspiracy to deny votes in the run-up to the Bihar assembly polls later this year."

In the meantime, workers of the RJD, Congress, CPI ML Liberation, and CPM held protests in Arwal, Jehanabad, and Darbhanga by burning tyres and blocking roads in support of the bandh.