Bihar Special Intensive Revision: SIR being done to terrorise people, must be withdrawn, says Dipankar Bhattacharya
He also raised concerns about certain claims of the Election Commission (EC), questioning how suddenly people from Bangladesh, Myanmar and Nepal were being found by EC sources.
'This is a lie. Elections were held in 2024. Was there any such complaint regarding that voter list? Did any party make such a complaint? How and from where did it appear suddenly?' he asked, addressing a press conference in Patna.
He further said, 'In 2019, the Election Commission wrote to the Parliament that there were no foreign voters in 2016-2019. There were only 3 such complaints in 2018. In such a situation, where are foreigners [being] found in Bihar in 2025? Mushars will be found in every village of Bihar, will they be called people of Myanmar?'
Mr. Bhattacharya alleged that migrant labourers and Muslims of Bihar were being called Bangladeshi. He added that migrant workers from West Bengal were also facing the same problem because they spoke Bengali.
'Now, how did the labourers who speak Hindi also become Bangladeshi? This is an attempt to throw dust in the eyes of the people. There is a relation of daughter and bread with Nepal. Every day, our every apprehension is being confirmed. This is a mockery of the Constitution,' Mr. Bhattacharya alleged.
Criticising the ongoing SIR, he added that the campaign was being run by terrorising people. 'Why is this atmosphere of terror being created?' he asked.
'BLOs under pressure'
He also took a dig at the EC over its statement that there were problems with the SIR and they had a large number of Booth Level Officers (BLO) and volunteers.
'One-third time has passed, and the reports coming out from the ground prove that BLOs have not reached many houses, and hardly anyone has received the two forms. Whatever is going on is a game of numbers, a terrible chaos,' he said.
Claiming that the BLOs themselves were upset, Mr. Bhattacharya said that one officer had died under pressure, and many were saying they too did not have the required documents.
Ganesh Prasad Yadav, 51, a BLO in Kako Panchayat in Madhubani district, had died following a heart attack last Friday.
'One Block Development Officer (BDO) in Katihar resigned, alleging harassment. If a BLO says anything, action is taken against them,' he said, adding that an FIR was filed against senior journalist Anjit Anjum 'just for showing the truth'.
EROs' authority questioned
Mr. Bhattacharya also questioned the authority given to Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) to take a call when voters were unable to provide the required documents. In such cases, the EROs can decide based on local investigation or other documentary evidence.
'There is a complete attempt to steal this election. That is why people of Bihar have started raising the slogan — chunav chor gaddi chhod (election thieves should leave the throne),' he said.
He went on to say, 'The right to vote of every voter should be guaranteed. The Election Commission has also sent a letter to us. We want to meet separately. SIR has to be withdrawn. The 2025 elections should be conducted properly on the basis of the 2024 voter list. There should be peaceful elections in Bihar.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Economic Times
a few seconds ago
- Economic Times
Rahul Gandhi alleges ‘vote chori', blasts BJP and EC with data
Synopsis Congress MP Rahul Gandhi has accused the Election Commission (EC) of manipulating Indian elections in collusion with the BJP, alleging 'vote theft.' Citing discrepancies in Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra elections, Gandhi highlighted that the BJP defies anti-incumbency trends. He specifically questioned Maharashtra's results, claiming the EC's refusal to provide machine-readable voter lists strengthens suspicions of collusion and election manipulation. Congress MP and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Thursday alleged that elections in India are being manipulated, using what he called 'Vote Chori' (vote theft). Backed by internal data and polling figures, he accused the Election Commission (EC) of not only withholding key information but also colluding with the ruling at a press event, Rahul Gandhi pointed out a worrying pattern.'Anti-incumbency hits every party in every democracy. But for some reason, the BJP is the only party that does not suffer from it,' he referred to a series of elections, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra, where opinion polls, exit polls, and even Congress's own internal surveys showed one outcome, but the final results were shockingly different.'Exit polls and opinion polls were saying one thing, our internal polling showed the same. Then suddenly, the result moves in the opposite direction with massive swings,' he said. Rahul Gandhi was particularly vocal about the Maharashtra assembly elections, calling the results suspicious.'Maharashtra results confirmed our suspicion that the election was stolen,' he added that the Election Commission's refusal to provide machine-readable voter lists strengthened this belief.'Not giving machine-readable voter lists convinced us that the EC colluded with the BJP to steal the election,' he of Rahul's key allegations is that the Election Commission is not sharing full voter list data with political parties. He claimed that the EC only provides the list in a form that cannot be properly analysed.'The voter list is the property of this country. But the EC refuses to give it to political parties in a usable format,' he alleged.
New Indian Express
a few seconds ago
- New Indian Express
Mamata questions EC's directive to suspend four officers, says her govt is with its staffers
Questioning the EC's directive, Banerjee said, "We all know that the EC can take action only from the date of announcement of elections. There is a lot of time left for elections, do they think that they can browbeat anybody in the name of NRC (National Register of Citizens)?" she asked. With the assembly elections in West Bengal due in mid-2026, a raging political debate is on as to whether a special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls will be undertaken in the state, on the lines of Bihar, where it has been held and draft rolls announced. Banerjee said that her government is with all officers and other employees of the state government. She questioned under which rule the suspensions were ordered, claiming that the Constitution does not provide for any such provision. The chief minister has been alleging that the EC is trying to introduce NRC "through the back door" in the garb of SIR.
Hindustan Times
a few seconds ago
- Hindustan Times
Rahul Gandhi claims Bangalore Central Lok Sabha seat ‘example of vote chori' in 2024 polls
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's massive claim in Delhi on Thursday — that the Election Commission 'colluded with the BJP to steal elections' — had a central example. He said the Lok Sabha seat of Bangalore Central, which the Congress lost to the BJP by margin of less than 3 percentage points, had instance of 'fake voters' and 'duplicate voting'. Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi made a detailed presentation to back his claims of EC-BJP collusion. (PTI File)
