Bihar monsoon session: Oppn protests in black, Deputy CM hits back on voter list row
The opposition, led by the Leader of Opposition in the Council, Rabri Devi, alleged, 'The government is using SIR to tamper with the voter list. It is a conspiracy to suppress votes of backward and marginalised communities under the guise of verification,' Rabri Devi said.
During the protest, slogans were raised like, 'Stop trying to usurp elections and SIR is an excuse; the purpose is to ban voting.'
MLCs of the Grand Alliance arrived at the Council wearing black clothes, holding posters and placards while raising slogans in the portico before the session began.
Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary countered the opposition's allegations, stating, 'The Election Commission has made it clear that no citizen—poor, backward, Dalit, or general—is being removed unfairly from the voter list. So far, 98 per cent participation has been recorded in the re-verification process of 19 lakh deceased voters, 20 lakh migrated citizens and 8 lakh duplicate voters have been identified.'
He further said, 'The SIR process will conclude on July 26, after which the draft voter list will be published, allowing all parties to file objections transparently.'
Samrat Chaudhary targeted the opposition's black-clothes protest, remarking, 'Shani has overshadowed them; that's why they are roaming around in black.'
He accused the opposition of misleading the people and referenced past political statements on illegal voters to justify the verification drive, citing that 'over 120 per cent Aadhaar registration in districts like Kishanganj makes investigation necessary.'
When questioned about speculations of CM Nitish Kumar being considered for Vice President, Samrat Chaudhary remarked, 'It is up to the BJP and NDA leadership, and they will decide.'
The monsoon session is politically crucial, with the government aiming to pass key bills before the upcoming elections.
The opposition is aggressively targeting the government on law and order, voter list revision, and unemployment during this five-day session.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
38 minutes ago
- Time of India
Minister slams Rahul-Ambedkar comparison
Patna: BJP functionary and minister Janak Ram on Sunday lashed out at Congress's Udit Raj for likening Rahul Gandhi to Dr B R Ambedkar, describing the comparison as "an insult" and demanding an apology. "Rahul has been a failed leader in the true sense," Janak Ram said. "In Indian politics, he is remembered as a failed leader. Congress never respected Babasaheb and comparing him with anyone is an insult to Ambedkar." The controversy erupted after Udit Raj posted on X on Saturday, "OBCs will have to think that history does not give opportunities for progress again and again. They should follow and support what Rahul Gandhi said at the Talkatora Stadium conference. If they do so, then Rahul Gandhi will prove to be the second Ambedkar for them." Responding strongly, Janak Ram accused the Congress of exploiting marginalised communities. "Despite being in power for over six decades, Congress treated the Dalit and OBC communities merely as a vote bank. It never worked honestly for their welfare," he said. "In fact, Congress betrayed these communities, and the public will never forgive them. This is the same Congress which delayed conferring the Bharat Ratna on Ambedkar but wasted no time in securing the country's highest civilian award for its own family," the BJP minister added.
Time of India
40 minutes ago
- Time of India
10000 IDF Soldiers Pay Heavy Price For Netanyahu's War; Sleep Loss, Mood Swings & PTSD...
Supreme Court Told Bihar Voter Roll Revision a 'Grave Fraud on Voters' The Supreme Court on Saturday heard serious allegations against the Election Commission's special intensive revision (SIR) of Bihar's electoral rolls. Petitioners, including the Association for Democratic Reforms and the RJD, claimed the process was marred by irregularities — with BLOs allegedly forging voter signatures, dead individuals shown as having submitted forms, and genuine voters excluded without notice. The petitioners argued that the EC's numbers were unreliable as forms were collected without proper documentation, putting lakhs at risk of disenfranchisement just ahead of the state elections. They also questioned why the EC rejected Aadhaar and ration cards as valid proof.#supremecourt #electioncommission #biharelections #voterfraud #electoralrolls #rjd #adr #voterlist #disenfranchisement #biharnews #manojjha #ashoklavasa #form6 #voteridentity #bloirregularities 152 views | 1 hour ago
The Hindu
40 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Stop SIR in Bihar, refrain from ‘institutional arrogance', says INDIA bloc
The Indian National Developmental, Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc parties on Sunday (July 27, 2025) urged the Election Commission of India (EC) to refrain from 'institutional arrogance', and stop the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll in Bihar, saying it has effectively become a process of establishing citizenship. Speaking at a joint press conference, along with Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation (CPI-ML-L) general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MP Manoj Jha, and Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) leader Nilotpal Basu, Congress Rajya Sabha member Abhishek Manu Singhvi said it was not an issue of 'political obstinacy' or 'institutional arrogance'. 'I humbly urge the Election Commission... it is not a matter of political obstinacy or institutional arrogance. Please reconsider is urging you,' Mr. Singhvi said. VIDEO | On SIR exercise in Bihar, Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi (@DrAMSinghvi) says, "If it is wrong in Bihar, then it is wrong in the entire country. Exclusion of 60 lakhs is not even a trailer, they will exclude more. Citizenship is the main agenda..."#SIR… — Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) July 27, 2025 About 10 elections had been held after 2003 and till then, all the ID cards had been valid throughout. 'In that case, what was the urgency in initiating the process in June-July, link it to an election,' he said, adding that the exercise could have been undertaken after yet another election (Bihar). The attempt to squeeze the entire process within two-three months was resulting in several errors, Mr. Singhvi said. Stating that the SIR had become a process of establishing citizenship, Mr. Singhvi asked if the Election Commission was authorised to do so. He cited a 1995 Supreme Court judgment to say that detailed legal provisions should be followed to take away anyone's citizenship. Mr. Bhattacharya said the EC's 'self-congratulatory' statements were confirming the INDIA bloc party's apprehensions. After the process started, the number of possible deletions from the voters' list kept increasing, and now it was about 65 lakh, he said. The Opposition parties had flagged concerns over about two crore alleged deletions. 'The EC has made one very misleading and false claim that it has shared this with the political parties. We have received block-level data about pending enumeration forms, which were not the details been shared with us, we could have cross-checked them before the draft was prepared...,' Mr. Bhattacharya said, stating that no door-to-door visits had been made during the EC's exercise. He also asked whether the EC's summary revision held in January 2025 was wrong, and if the claim of 22 lakh deaths was correct. Describing it as the biggest exercise of 'disenfranchisement since Independence', Mr. Jha said the EC had not consulted political parties on the SIR. The people whose names would be deleted were not being given the right to appeal. 'Opacity has become the hallmark of your (the EC's) functioning,' he said. No consultation with political parties had been carried out before initiating the SIR exercise, Mr. Basu said. He sought details of the survey on the basis of which the process was being carried out.
