Bihar Voter List Controversy: “Will the price of our vote be fixed on paper now?” This question is resonating today from Patna’s streets to the corridors of the assembly. The special revision campaign of the voter list in Bihar i.e. Special Intensive Revision (SIR) has severely heated electoral politics. On the one hand, the Election Commission is giving clarification, on the other hand the opposition is calling it a “attack on democracy”.
Warning of stunning boycott thundered during session
Today, during the session of Bihar Legislative Assembly, the atmosphere became completely political when Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav announced from the stage “If the votes of the minorities Dalits and the poor were cut, the opposition would boycott the election.” Tejashwi’s statement set fire to the entire House. There was a sharp debate between the ruling party and the opposition, the files of documents were waved in the hands and slogans like “democracy will not go” started to echo. The Election Commission also had to answer this sharp attack.
Election Commission cleaning: If the name is cut, do not panic again
The Election Commission has made it clear in its statement that the SIR process is not being done with the intention of depriving any legitimate voter to its right. According to the Commission, this process takes place once every five years so that the voter list can be updated and accurate. The Commission says that if a person’s name has been removed by mistake or technical reasons, then there is no need to panic. From 1 August to 1 September, any person can get his name again with the necessary documents. At the same time, the Commission also made it clear that if any illegal name is included in the list and its information is received, then it will also be removed. This entire process will be transparent and fair.
Opposition does not trust the government accused of ‘deceit’
Despite this clarification of the Election Commission, the opposition parties do not look satisfied. The RJD Congress and the Left parties have called it a “statement under pressure”. He says that they will not sit silent until the government stops the entire process of SIR. RJD spokesperson Manoj Jha said, “We have given information about hundreds of such cases in every village where the names of poor Dalits and Muslims have been removed from the list without any notice. This is not just an administrative mistake but a conspiracy.”
Government’s response, opposition spreading confusion
On the other hand, the ruling NDA has dismissed the opposition’s allegations outright. BJP leader Emperor Chaudhary said, “To discredit the process of the Election Commission is an insult to democracy. The opposition has become a habit of spreading lies among the people. SIR’s purpose is only that every vote is correct and not a conspiracy to exclude a class.”
Fear in public mind but also hope
The general public of Bihar is watching this political fierce battle with surprise. An elder from Darbhanga said, “We have been voting for 30 years, now it is afraid that our name may not have been cut this time. But the Election Commission is saying that if the name will be added, it is expected that it will be correct.”
Election boycott threats and SIR process towards conflict Bihar?
Tejashwi Yadav’s election boycott statement is now working like ghee in the fire of politics. Bihar has already been struggling with the politics of ethnic and religious equations and now if mistrust on the correctness of the voter list also increases, then the validity of the election is sure to be questioned. Assembly by -elections and panchayat elections are to be held in Bihar in the coming months. In such a situation, this whole situation will not only affect political parties but also the foundation of democracy on the voters.
