‘Unless you win...': Amid Bihar voter list row, Khurshid downplays protest; urges focus on winning polls

Time of India

3 days ago

NEW DELHI: Congress leader
Salman Khurshid
on Saturday took a different view from his party on the Bihar voter list revision, saying that the focus of the party should be on winning elections suggesting that 'unless you win, your point will not matter.
'
In remarks that appear to diverge from the party's combative line, Khurshid said: 'Whoever is raising questions (on the Election Commission), let them... The reality is that, ultimately, unless you win the election, your point will not matter, so we have to try to put all our efforts into winning the elections only then will it matter.'
On the Supreme Court's verdict on the electoral rolls revision in Bihar, Khurshid said, 'One should not speak on the verdict of the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court has given relief too in this case...'
His comments come as opposition parties, especially the Congress and RJD, have been vocally critical of the EC's voter list revision, alleging that it is being used by the BJP and its allies to manipulate the electoral roll ahead of the state polls.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi recently led a street protest in Patna, accusing the EC of attempting to replicate what he called the 'Maharashtra model of voter list manipulation' in Bihar.
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Khurshid's latest remarks echo a pattern. He has previously drawn internal criticism for positions that appear at odds with the Congress high command. During the recent global outreach mission after Operation Sindoor, he praised the Modi government's efforts on Kashmir, saying Article 370 had 'given the impression that [J&K] was separate from the rest of the country' and calling the abrogation a move that ended the problem.
BJP targets Cong over SIR in Bihar
On Friday, the BJP hailed the Supreme Court's remarks on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar as a 'befitting reply' to opposition criticism, demanding a public apology from Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and RJD's Tejashwi Yadav for opposing the process.
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The apex court had ruled that the Election Commission's decision to carry out the SIR is a "constitutional mandate", allowing the revision to proceed.
It also directed that Aadhaar, Voter ID, and ration cards be accepted as valid documents for the exercise.
Congress spokesperson Jairam Ramesh noted the ruling would help prevent mass voter disenfranchisement, stating on X, 'This will save a vast majority of voters from being disenfranchised.'
The BJP criticised Congress for its 'double standards', pointing out that while the party had earlier opposed linking Aadhaar to Voter IDs, some of its leaders even approaching the court over it, it is now supporting the move. 'This is called double standards,' BJP MP Sambit Patra told PTI.
BJP's Gaurav Bhatia also accused the opposition of lacking faith in constitutional institutions. He called on Gandhi and Yadav to 'publicly apologise' and 'introspect', questioning their protests ahead of the court hearing.