Election Commission deleted names of voters by listing them as dead, claims Bihar Congress President
Rajesh Ram on Sunday slammed the Election Commission for alleged errors in the voter list during the '
Voter Adhikaar Yatra
' in Sasaram, claiming many voters who were still alive had been wrongly listed as dead.
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He claimed, "The method adopted by the Election Commission to delete the names of people has revealed that those who are alive were also eliminated from the list by placing them in the dead category."
Meanwhile, RJD MP Manoj Jha said the voters of Bihar are raising their voice and described the Election Commission as "more of a player than an empire." He added, "..This voice was from the voters of Bihar. The Election Commission is no longer an empire; it's more like a player...Whatever started in Bihar will happen in different states."
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Ahead of the yatra, RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav and Bihar Assembly Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav jointly accused the BJP of trying to destroy the Constitution by undermining people's voting rights. Tejashwi said, "The people of the BJP are misusing Constitutional agencies, trying to destroy democracy and the Constitution. Bihar's land is the land of democracy. We will not let this happen, that BJP destroys, we will fight wherever we want and we will not let our rights be erased."
Lalu Prasad Yadav added, "We have made many sacrifices to save democracy. We will continue to do so in the future. We will not let our voting rights be erased. We will not let it perish."
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The yatra, organised by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, aims to protest against alleged electoral malpractice and the ongoing Special Intensive Revision of the voter list in Bihar. Opposition parties have alleged that the Centre, along with the Election Commission, is working to fill electoral rolls with fake votes to help the ruling party stay in power.
Tejashwi Yadav said the rally is intended to ensure that every Bihari can cast their vote. "Lalu Yadav ji will be unfurling the green flag and see off the people. Our hope is big. These people [BJP] don't just want to erase their rights, but also their very existence," he added.
The Election Commission responded, stating that any issues with the electoral rolls, including past errors, should have been raised during the "Claims and Objections" period. It added that sharing the electoral roll with political parties and candidates was intended to allow such issues to be addressed on time.
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