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Indian Express
2 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Election Commission is simply doing its job in Bihar. Why is the Opposition scared of electoral roll revision?
Written by Pratyush Kanth Once again, the Indi Alliance led by the Congress party has been exposed before the country for targeting the Election Commission of India (ECI), which is performing its constitutional duty. The Indi Alliance parties are attacking the Commission over its Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process of the electoral rolls in Bihar. The people of India have seen the Congress-led alliance frequently change its stand, spread misinformation, and deliberately create confusion whenever it suits their political agenda. Their actions surrounding this revision process only reinforce that pattern. The same alliance that once vehemently opposed Aadhaar linkage with voter ID by raising the issue of privacy and constitutional rights is now doing an about-turn by demanding Aadhaar as a valid verification document. Their legal representatives in court even pushed for Aadhaar inclusion, conveniently forgetting their earlier opposition. This contradictory behaviour exposes the alliance's lack of principles and confirms that their real concern is not about rights but about political survival. The Supreme Court did not grant any relief to the Opposition and upheld the constitutional responsibility of the Election Commission to conduct the revision. The obvious question arises: What exactly is the Indi Alliance trying to protect? Are they worried about fake voters being removed? Are they concerned about illegal entries getting exposed? Is this why they are so aggressively attacking a constitutionally empowered body which is acting strictly under the law, including provisions of the Representation of the People Act of the year 1950? On June 24, the Election Commission of India issued clear instructions for carrying out an SIR of the electoral roll in Bihar. This decision was taken to ensure inclusion of all eligible citizens and the removal of ineligible names such as those of the deceased, those who have migrated, and illegal foreign voters. The process is designed to be fully transparent and grounded in constitutional legality. This exercise is not just necessary but overdue. The last such revision in Bihar took place in 2003. In the two decades since, the state has undergone significant demographic transformation due to rapid urbanisation, large-scale migration, and a rising youth population. These changes make it imperative that the electoral rolls be revised to reflect the true and current voter base of the state. The Election Commission of India is conducting this exercise under the mandate of Article 326 of the Constitution of India, which guarantees free and fair elections. Sections 16 and 23 of the Representation of the People Act of 1950 empower the Commission to revise and verify electoral rolls. Section 24 of the same Act provides for appeals if any elector or political party wishes to raise objections. To ensure transparency and data protection, the Commission has mandated the uploading of necessary documents on the ECINET platform. These documents are accessible only to authorised officials, ensuring privacy is maintained while verification is carried out in a systematic and reliable manner. The revision process has been designed to be inclusive, transparent, and people-centric. On the ground, more than 72,000 Booth Level Officers (BLOs), supported by over 20,000 newly appointed officers and four lakh volunteers, are actively working to reach every section of society. Their focus includes the elderly, persons with disabilities, the economically disadvantaged, and voters in remote locations. The process is further strengthened by the presence of 1,56,000 Booth Level Agents, appointed by all recognised political parties, including the Congress itself. Their role is to observe and verify the work, thus increasing public confidence and institutional credibility. Every party has equal opportunity to be part of the process, which leaves no room for complaints about exclusion or bias. The results so far speak for themselves. As of 6 pm on July 10, the Election Commission had successfully collected over 5,22,00,000 enumeration forms, covering more than 66 per cent of Bihar's nearly eight crore electors within just 16 days. With 98 per cent of forms already distributed, the drive is progressing efficiently and is fully on track to meet its deadline of July 25. This achievement reflects the seriousness, scale, and capability with which the ECI is handling a task of such magnitude. It is being executed smoothly, without causing public inconvenience, and with a level of dedication that deserves recognition and support from all political stakeholders. Instead of cooperating with this constitutionally legitimate and transparent exercise, the Indi Alliance is attempting to derail it. The question every citizen must ask is simple. Why is a process aimed at ensuring clean and fair elections being opposed so vehemently? What is it that the alliance is so afraid of? Whose interests are they protecting by standing against an honest electoral clean-up? This behaviour is not just irresponsible. It is a deliberate attempt to undermine the credibility of the ECI and cast doubt on the integrity of our institutions. When a political alliance chooses to weaken democracy to secure its vote bank, it stops serving the people and starts serving only its own power-hungry agenda. Let the truth be known to every citizen of Bihar and to the entire country. The Congress-led alliance is using every trick in the book to obstruct SIR. They are not fighting for genuine voters. They are fighting to protect illegal and ineligible entries that they have long relied on for electoral gains. They have failed to earn the trust of the people. Now, in desperation, they are trying to manufacture confusion and mistrust. Their actions reflect the fear that a clean electoral roll will finally expose decades of vote-bank politics and manipulation. Bihar has always led revolutions and rejected jungle raj. It will not be misled by the lies of the opposition. Bihar deserves truth, not chaos. The people stand with honesty, transparency, and the Constitution, not with obstruction and deceit. The writer is national spokesperson, the BJP
Indian Express
02-05-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
‘Today's event will give sleepless nights to many people': At Kerala port inauguration, Modi's swipe at Left, Congress
While dedicating the Vizhinjam port to the country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday took a dig at the ruling CPI(M), which has long been opposed to private investment. Praising the Adani group for having completed the construction in a short span, Modi said in the presence of industrialist Gautam Adani, 'I have returned from visiting the port. When the people of Gujarat come to know that Adani has built such a good port here in Kerala – he has been working on ports in Gujarat for 30 years, but he has not built such a port there yet – he will have to be ready to face their anger. I would also like to say to our Chief Minister (Pinarayi Vijayan) – you are a strong pillar of the Indi Alliance. Shashi Tharoor is also sitting here, and today's event will give sleepless nights to many people.' The Rs 8,800-crore Vizhinjam International Deepwater Multipurpose Seaport is being developed by Adani Ports and SEZ Private Limited on a design, build, finance, operate and transfer (DBFOT) model. In 2015, when the then Congress regime inked the deal with the Adani group, the CPI(M), then in the Opposition, had dubbed it a land scam of Rs 6,000 crore. However, at the inaugural venue, CPI(M) leader and state port minister V N Vasavan referred to the industrialist as 'our partner Adani'. Referring to the state minister's reference to Adani, the Prime Minister said, 'When our port minister was delivering his speech, he said that Adani is our government's partner. A minister of a communist government is saying this for the private sector – this is changing India.'' At one point, as the translator bungled Modi's reference to Indi Alliance as 'Indian airlines', the Prime Minister said, 'The translator could not (translate these lines)… but the message has gone where it had to.' Underscoring the role of the private sector in elevating India's maritime industry to new heights, Modi said that under public-private partnerships, thousands of crores have been invested over the past 10 years. This collaboration has not only upgraded India's ports to global standards but also made them future-ready, he said. Modi also used the event to strike a chord with the state's Christian community, particularly the Catholic segment that lives along the coastal belt. He paid tribute to Pope Francis, who died last week, saying that the world will remember his contributions. He also shared his personal experiences with the Pope, expressing his gratitude for having had multiple opportunities to meet him.
