Bihar roll revision a conspiracy to delete voters' names, says Tejashwi Yadav
The remarks by the Leader of the Opposition in the Bihar Assembly came a day after the Election Commission (EC) said that over 35 lakh voters were not found at their addresses during the electoral roll revision drive in the State.
Mr. Yadav who was accompanied by other leaders of the INDIA bloc at his official residence, reiterated his allegation that the EC was working at the behest of the ruling BJP. He said that through SIR, 'not only are the rights of the people being snatched, but also their existence. There is a conspiracy to deprive them of all kinds of government welfare schemes by deleting their names from the voters' list'.
Lashing out at the EC, Mr. Yadav said a delegation of INDIA bloc leaders had also met the Election Commission officials in Delhi and Bihar but to no avail. Even the instructions of the Supreme Court are not being complied with by the poll body, he said.
'This makes it clear that there is something fishy. Even after the advice of the Supreme Court, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar remained silent on this matter and he is engaged in the work given to him by (Home Minister) Amit Shah, this is dangerous for democracy. We will fight for the protection of justice and democracy at every level,' Mr. Yadav said.
Meeting tomorrow
He said that on July 19, a meeting will be held at the residence of Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge in Delhi, which he will too will attend.
Raising questions on the revision, Mr. Yadav said, 'Three days ago, several newspapers reported that 35 lakh voters' names would be removed, quoting sources. On July 16, EC quoted the same figures. The question is, when the process is going on, how did the news of deletion of names of so many voters get disclosed when there are still eight days left for the SIR to conclude?'
In a statement issued by the EC headquarters on July 16, it said enumeration forms were received from 88.65% residents for inclusion in the revised voters' list. Around 4.5% electors – 35,69,435 voters – were not found at their addresses, it said.
'In Bihar, journalists are facing FIRs for showing the truth. By pressurising the booth-level officers (BLOs), the names of voters are being uploaded fraudulently without their knowledge through BJP people with the help of fake signatures. There is video footage that shows all this,' Mr. Yadav said.
The Raghopur MLA said, 'People are being removed from the voters' list. They will now be deprived of all kinds of facilities, the civil rights they have. Like ration, pension, reservation facility, Kisan Samman Nidhi, subsidy, scholarship, housing scheme, social security pension and public welfare schemes.'
The former Deputy Chief Minister also alleged that the preparations are under way to remove the names of 12% to 15% voters in Bihar. He claimed that there are 22,000 booths where the booth-level officers have not even started the work. The EC is not giving any clear information on it, he said.
Mr. Yadav pointed out that within the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), TDP leader and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has also raised questions on the SIR, but JD(U) leader and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was silent.
'Selective removal'
Bihar Congress president Rajesh Kumar too alleged that voters' names were being selectively removed on the basis of their surnames.
All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary K.C. Venugopal posted a message on social media account X alleging: 'The revelations from the SIR exercise completely expose the BJP-controlled ECI. Preliminary estimates suggest 35 lakh voters are being disenfranchised in this hurried process.'
He further said, 'On the ground, document requirements are creating havoc, BLOs have absolute discretion in enrolling or rejecting voters, and voters are worried about whether their right to vote will remain or be snatched away from them. Journalists who expose this blatant 'Votebandi' are being slapped with FIRs, and hateful agendas are peddled to distract from the real issue at hand. This reeks of mass-scale election rigging, and we will never let it pass.'
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