One state, 8 crore voters, one big fight: Bihar's ballot battle explodes; SIR controversy explained
NEW DELHI: A storm is brewing in Bihar's political landscape months ahead of the assembly election as Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls is facing fierce opposition from INDIA Bloc.
Opposition parties in the state have alleged that the SIR is designed to "benefit NDA" in the elections, a charge the
Election Commission
has denied.
The controversy has now landed in
Supreme Court
, which will hear petitions on July 10 challenging the exercise by EC.
Bihar Bandh
RJD's
Tejashwi Yadav
and Congress's Rahul Gandhi joined the Bihar Bandh rally on Wednesday in Patna to oppose SIR.
Speaking at the Bihar Bandh rally, Yadav said, "Today, the Bihar Bandh has been called to address how the Election Commission has become 'Godi Aayog'.
NDA is losing, so they are using the Election Commission. Preparations have been going on to remove the names of Bihar's poor people from the voter list under the directions of Modi ji, Amit Shah and Nitish Kumar ji."
"This is a conspiracy to cut off the votes of almost crores of voters, who belong to the poor community, who are standing at the bottom steps of society like the Dalits, backwards class, or extremely backwards class," Yadav added.
SIR: What is it and why now?
SIR is a door-to-door verification drive by the Election Commission to be conducted across Bihar to update its electoral rolls. This is the first such intensive revision in the state since 2003. Under this drive, over 8 crore people will be asked to fill out forms with photographs and address proof.
Over 3 crore people, who are estimated not to have been listed in 2003, will be asked to provide additional documentation.
According to the official notification of EC released on June 24, new voters born after 1987 are required to furnish their parents' birth details, provided the parents weren't listed in 2003.
INDIA bloc raises alarm
The political storm was triggered after opposition INDIA bloc alleged that this drive is designed to "benefit the ruling NDA." They also accused the poll panel of trying to "wrongfully delete" the voters' names who are unlikely to vote for the ruling dispensation.
The opposition INDIA bloc, led by Tejashwi Yadav, moved the Supreme Court against the SIR. A protest march led by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was also organised on Wednesday.
Amid this, a clause that states EROs "will refer cases of suspected foreign nationals to the competent authority under the Citizenship Act, 1955" is also under the radar.
Their concerns include:
Timing & targeting: Why is this massive revision being done only in Bihar and just before state elections?
Exclusionary tactics: Over 3 crore people face tougher documentation if their names didn't appear in the 2003 rolls.
Youth under scrutiny: Voters born after 1987 must prove parental citizenship history.
ID limitations: Aadhaar and MNREGA cards are reportedly not accepted as valid proof.
Citizenship clause fears: EROs can flag "suspected foreign nationals" — a clause feared to be misused, especially in Seemanchal.
The timing of SIR opposed
"Why has this exercise been ordered only in Bihar when in 2003 a similar revision of electoral rolls was undertaken for the entire country? And why just before the assembly polls? If it was so urgent, why was the work not started immediately after last year's Lok Sabha elections," RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav said.
General secretary of CPI(ML) Liberation Dipankar Bhattacharya, while criticising the move, said that EC has opted for a "logistical nightmare". He added that it is almost impossible to complete the drive by July 25.
On opposition bloc's Bihar Bandh, BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad said, "Today, the opposition parties have called a Bihar Bandh against the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. Bihar LoP and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, Congress leader and Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi and other leaders of the INDIA bloc have come down to the streets...
I want to bring to the attention of the country some important issues. In our country, citizens of India vote to form MPs and MLAs.
Also, they cast their votes from where they live. So what is their problem if a revision of voter lists is done?"
Voices from the ground: Errors, confusion, and chaos
In Muzaffarpur, a resident claimed her son's address was bizarrely listed as a shamshaan ghat (cremation ground), while her daughter-in-law's address was left blank, according to a news report from PTI.
EC stands its ground
Meanwhile, the Election Commission said that 2.88 crore voters, nearly 36.5%, have been covered in the door-to-door exercise. It also rejected the opposition's allegations, saying that the revision is "lawful and constitutional."
Supreme Court steps in
The apex court is scheduled to hear multiple petitions, including a joint plea by Congress, NCP (Sharad Pawar), Shiv Sena (UBT), Samajwadi Party, JMM, CPI, and CPI(ML) on July 10.
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