Patna, 27 June (UNI) Leader of Opposition in Bihar Assembly Tejashwi Yadav on Thursday said that the Election Commission of India’s announcement of a massive voter list revision in Bihar just before the assembly elections is deeply troubling. It is a mockery of democracy and the Constitution of India, he charged.
Addressing a press conference in Patna on Friday, along with other leaders of INDIA Alliance, he announced that they will challenge the decision. They will approach the Election Commission of India soon, he assured.
He said “An attempt to revise the registration list of 8 crore voters in only 25 days raises serious concerns about the integrity of the electoral process. This move fuels suspicions of a deliberate attempt to disenfranchise vulnerable populations, including the poor, marginalised communities, Dalits, Adivasis, and minorities.”
Tejashwi added “Why the voter list revision was not undertaken before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections? If the voter list used in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections was valid, no one should question its validity now. If the government is honest in this matter, then it should declare the 2024 Lok Sabha elections null and void.”
He said that what’s happening in Bihar is a direct attack on democracy, stripping citizens of their basic rights. It’s a massive scheme to cut off the poor, the oppressed, and the vulnerable from vital resources such as food, pensions, and student aid.
The RJD leader added “There’s a concerted effort by the BJP and RSS to take away constitutional rights, with the RSS specifically advocating for the removal of secularism and socialism from the Indian Constitution.”
Bihar Congress President Rajesh Ram accused the central government of attempting to manipulate the Bihar elections, similar to what he claims happened in Maharashtra. He warned that the attempt to reduce the official voter count will be met with strong resistance.
Congress’s national spokesperson Pawan Khera alleged that the central government has been manipulating the Election Commission to benefit the BJP.
Citing media surveys that predict an NDA loss and a potential victory for the INDIA alliance in the upcoming assembly elections in Bihar, Khera claimed that the government is trying to disenfranchise the youth due to their discontent over unemployment, exam leaks, and job scarcity.
CPI (ML) General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya alleged that this is a conspiracy to rig the election, akin to the demonetisation policy. He argued that voter registration is the Election Commission’s duty. He asserted that asking voters to prove their eligibility with documentation is unnecessary given the government's failure to provide birth certificates to every citizen.
VIP spokesperson Dev Jyoti termed it a conspiracy to implement NRC. He also alleged that demanding documentation from the poor, backward, and most backward communities is a thinly veiled attempt to disenfranchise them.
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