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Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
Bihar electoral roll revision: Concerns persist as party reps meet ECI
Concerns persisted even as representatives of 11 parties, including the Congress and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), met top Election Commission of India (ECI) officials to oppose the special intensive revision of the electoral roll in poll-bound Bihar. Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi called the revision a violation of the level playing field. (PTI) RJD lawmaker Manoj Jha said that the two-and-a-half-hour meeting with chief election commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar, and commissioners, Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, on Wednesday was not cordial, and the reflection that should have accompanied their concerns was absent. He called the revision a conspiracy to 'displace' tens of thousands of people in Bihar. '...It is also a question of Bihar's identity. You have set out to find doubtful voters in Bihar, and that reveals your intentions…' Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi called the revision a violation of the level playing field. He added that if voters are left out, it would be an insult to the Constitution's basic structure. The ECI has said an electoral roll revision was last held in Bihar in 2003, which covered nearly 50 million people, underlining it has a constitutional obligation to ensure that only citizens are on it. It instructed the electoral registration officers to treat the 2003 electoral roll as 'probative evidence of eligibility, including presumption of citizenship unless they receive any other input otherwise.' Singhvi noted that 22 years have passed since 2003 and questioned whether all the elections held during this time were wrong and not according to the rules. 'If you had to conduct an intensive revision, why announce it in June? They could have done it after January. The documents you [ECI) are asking for over the last decade have been Aadhaar and ration card.' He said now one needs a birth certificate, and documents of the father and mother. 'Migrants, already suffering from floods, will keep running around for documents.' Singhvi said a level playing field has for decades been the foundation of elections. 'Those who are on the voter list [and] without documents will find themselves deprived of their right to vote.' He said the backward communities will have to run around, without documents, despite their names being on the list. 'This is a violation of the level playing field because it is the foundation of any election and a republic, which in turn is the basis of the basic structure of the Constitution. Any insult to this [voting right] will be an insult to the basic structure.' Jha echoed Singhvi and said they raised the concerns of Bihar's poor, downtrodden, backward, Dalit, and Muslim communities. 'We submitted how this is…an attempt to displace people; a conspiracy to remove them from the voter roll…If the purpose of any exercise shifts from inclusion to exclusion, what can we say?' He questioned the rationale for repeating something done 22 years ago. 'There was no answer. Are your employees equipped? No response. What will happen if issues arise within a month? The criteria you use to measure people do not have those documents.' Jha said he was referring to those lacking sufficient belongings. 'These are poor people enduring both drought and floods, and in the midst of this, you demand documents within a month. If your [ECI] intention is to displace people on a large scale, this story would not end here. There will be a flood on the streets, too.' He called the right to vote the most important right. '...one vote, one value, whether it is an industrialist or a landless farmer. If you are [ECI] tampering with that right at someone's behest… I hope the ECI reads the writing on the wall.' Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) Liberation general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya said that the ECI brought up Maharashtra, where Rahul Gandhi has alleged industrial-scale voter rigging, to justify the exercise in Bihar. 'The Commission did not say anything about why there was no prior consultation. For the people of Bihar, this is like notebandi [demonetisation]...they call it votebandi [restricting voting]. They [ECI] did not even indicate expanding the list of documents supporting eligibility, although they may consider something at a later stage.' Bhattacharya said they made all the points, but the ECI did not say anything. '...these are no concerns [for ECI]. The voting right itself is at stake.' The ECI said the concerns of the political parties were fully addressed and maintained that the revision was being conducted as per the Constitution. 'The Commission thanked all political parties for appointing more than 1.5 lakh [150,000] Booth Level Agents (BLAs) at the ground level for participating in the SIR [special intensive revision] exercise. ...thanked all political parties for actively participating in the SIR process so that no eligible voter is left out.' On June 24, the ECI announced the revision, emphasising the need to clean the electoral roll due to rapid urbanisation, frequent migration, increasing numbers of first-time voters, non-reporting of deaths, and the inclusion of names of undocumented foreigners.
Scroll.in
an hour ago
- Scroll.in
Bihar electoral roll revision will disenfranchise more than 2 crore voters, INDIA bloc tells EC
Eleven INDIA bloc parties on Wednesday told the Election Commission that its decision to undertake a special intensive revision of Bihar's electoral rolls months ahead of Assembly elections risked disenfranchising more than 2.5 crore voters, as they may not be able to produce the necessary documents. A delegation of the Opposition bloc met Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi in New Delhi. They questioned the exercise's timing and feasibility and also raised doubts about its methodology given that the process is allotted a ' maximum period of only 1-2 months '. Assembly elections in Bihar are scheduled to be held at the end of the year. Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi noted that the last such revision took place in Bihar in 2003. He said that representatives of the INDIA bloc told the poll panel that four to five elections have been held in Bihar in 22 years since then, and asked whether they were all faulty. Singhvi added that the 2003 special intensive revision was held a year before the Lok Sabha elections and two years before the Assembly elections in Bihar. 'Today, you are having it in July, a maximum period of one or two months for an electoral revision exercise of the second largest electoral populated state in India which has roughly under 8 crore voters,' the Congress MP noted. Singhvi said members of the delegation told the Election Commission that 'disenfranchisement and disempowerment is the worst attack on the basic structure of the Constitution'. He claimed that the exercise would lead to 'upwards of 2.5 crore persons, and a minimum of 2 crore people' being disenfranchised. The Congress leader added that the bloc was not against the revision of electoral rolls. 'It can be done with great caution, care, comprehensiveness and time after these elections. Then, you have five years for Bihar.' Two things we have objected to as preliminary issues: 1. The requirement that only the head or chairperson or president of the political parties could attend. 2. The rather pedantic insistence on two persons per party has no legal basis or sanction, which is most unfortunate.… — Congress (@INCIndia) July 2, 2025 The Rajya Sabha MP that for the review of the electoral rolls, the poll body had abandoned the documentation process that had been in use for decades, such as Aadhaar cards or ration cards. 'Unless one is already in the electoral roll of 2003, all other names require a birth certificate, and in one category, the birth certificates of both parents are needed,' he said. 'How do you expect the backward, flood-affected, poor, and migrant populations to run from pillar to post to obtain birth certificates for themselves or their parents?' Singhvi noted that if voters fail to obtain the certificates within the time limit, they risk losing their place on the electoral roll. He said that wrongful deletion or addition of voters to the electoral rolls leads to the level playing field in elections being vitiated. On June 24, the poll body had announced a special intensive revision of the electoral rolls in the state. The Election Commission had said that the review needed to be conducted due to reasons such as rapid urbanisation, frequent migration, fresh voters, non-reported deaths and the 'inclusion of the names of foreign illegal immigrants'. Out of the total 7.89 crore electors in the state, 4.96 crore whose names were already on the rolls on January 1, 2003 will only have to fill and submit a new enumeration form. The remaining 2.93 crore – or about 37% of the electors – whose names were not on the voter list after the last revision of electoral rolls was conducted in 2003, will need to submit proof of eligibility. Voters born before July 1, 1987 must show proof of their date and place of birth, while those born between July 1, 1987 and December 2, 2004 must submit documents establishing the date and place of birth of their parents. Those born after December 2, 2004 will need proof of date of birth for both parents.
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
MP report card: Zero hour is key period, MPs must utilise it effectively: Rajeev Bhardwaj
As the 18th Lok Sabha completes its first year, here's a look at first-time MP Rajeev Bhardwaj's performance in the lower House of Parliament and his plans for the constituency. As the 18th Lok Sabha completes its first year, here's a look at first-time MP Rajeev Bhardwaj's performance in the lower House of Parliament and his plans for the constituency. (File) I'm a first-time MP and it's been an enriching experience. I raised several issues of my constituency from tourism to strengthening road infrastructure. While four-laning projects are underway in Himachal, the state still lacks rail connectivity. We have a lot of potential for religious tourism in my constituency, so I have raised the issue of Vande Bharat connectivity to Kangra. We have reservoirs which have a lot of potential for backwater tourism just like Kerala so work should be done on these lines. See, if we want Himachal to develop and become self-reliant, tourism is the only sector. For me the high point was to get elected and reach Parliament to raise the issues concerning my state. While for the party the passing of the 'One Nation, One Election', which is being debated, and Waqf Amendment bill, are two landmark bills that will become reforms. It's not quantity but quality which matters when it comes to House sittings. MPs must be well prepared to take up issues of constituencies. Effectiveness depends on how well you present your issues. Zero hour is one of the most effective ways to raise the issues pertaining to your constituency. Though time is limited, this is where you need to effectively use your oratory skills and how well you put your issue forward despite the time limitation. Another way is a half-an-hour discussion that takes place in Parliament, though so far I have not got an opportunity to raise issues during this. But definitely in the monsoon session, I will like to raise issues of tourism and infrastructure. An MP can also utilise Rule 377 to raise issues of public importance. While the speaker ultimately decides if the MP gets to speak on the issue, the matter is still forwarded to the relevant department for a written response. One year is too small a period to assess the difference, but I am satisfied that I have remained in public and addressed their grievances. My priority is definitely to change the narrow gauge rail connectivity to broad gauge. Then having four-lane connectivity for Chamba district which will unlock its significant tourism potential by making it more accessible. Chamba, with its rich cultural heritage and scenic beauty, is currently relatively unexplored by many tourists, and better infrastructure could attract a larger influx of visitors. Next: Satpal Brahamchari, Congress MP from Sonepat
