Oppn delegation raises concerns over voter list revision, meets EC

United News of India

10 hours ago

New Delhi, July 2 (UNI) A joint delegation comprising 11 political parties of the Opposition met with the Election Commission on Wednesday to voice strong objections over the recently announced Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar.
Addressing the media after the meeting, senior Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi said, a delegation, comprising around 20 representatives, engaged in a detailed discussion with the Commission that lasted nearly three hours.
However, Singhvi said that only two members from each party were allowed to attend the meeting, preventing many leaders from participating. The parties have formally lodged a complaint regarding this restriction.
'Since 2003, Bihar has witnessed at least five major elections over the past 22 years. If the current voter list process is being questioned, does that mean all previous elections were flawed?' he asked.
'Even if a revision was necessary, it could have been done after the elections, with proper preparation. When a similar process was conducted in 2003, the general elections were still a year away and the assembly polls two years later. This time, the time frame is extremely limited,' the Congress leader added.
He also raised concerns over the new documentation requirements for voter eligibility. For the past decade, Aadhaar has been accepted as a valid proof for most government processes, but now the Commission is reportedly requiring a birth certificate. In certain categories, those born between 1987 and 2012 may even have to produce the birth certificates of their parents, he said.
'This is an impractical and unfair demand. Millions of poor citizens, especially in rural areas, will be forced to spend months collecting documents. Many legitimate voters could be excluded from the rolls altogether. This is a clear violation of the level playing field, which is fundamental to free and fair elections,' he said.
The delegation also questioned the legal process behind the sudden change.
He said, "Because until January, there was no such rule. You did not announce it; instead, you published an SSR (Summary Special Revision). In January 2025, there was no announcement of an SIR, nor was the term even mentioned. So how was this decision suddenly made at the end of June?"
Citing various Supreme Court judgments, the delegation argued that excluding eligible citizens from the electoral roll amounts to severe disenfranchisement and violates constitutional rights.
'We reminded the Commission that the Supreme Court has repeatedly held that denying someone the right to vote through exclusion from the electoral roll is a grave injustice,' Singhvi said.
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