The Congress party has voiced strong opposition to the special intensive revision of electoral rolls in Bihar, scheduled to take place before the upcoming assembly elections. They allege that the rights of the people of Bihar are being violated by this process. According to the Congress, this revision is a pre-planned move designed to scrutinize voters, verify their identities, and demand proof of citizenship. Addressing the media, AICC Media and Publicity Department Chairman Pawan Khera labeled the process as a conspiracy against the voters, their rights, their identity, and their very existence.
He questioned the timing of the revision, especially considering the monsoon season and the challenges posed by flood-affected areas. He highlighted the fact that the same voter lists were used during the Lok Sabha elections, questioning why a new revision is deemed necessary now. Khera accused the Election Commission of being influenced by the BJP, comparing them to the three monkeys who ‘see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.’
The opposition alliance in Bihar, the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), has also condemned the Election Commission’s proposal for an intensive revision of the voter list ahead of the state assembly elections, calling it a conspiracy to aid the BJP-led NDA. Opposition leaders, including RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, Pawan Khera, and CPI(ML) General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, announced their opposition to the revision, indicating that a delegation would be sent to the Election Commission and further actions would be taken if their concerns were not addressed.
Tejashwi Yadav questioned the Election Commission’s sudden urgency, asking why the revision wasn’t conducted immediately after the Lok Sabha elections. He suggested that the ruling coalition might have instructed the Election Commission to conduct the revision to gain an advantage in the upcoming elections. He expressed concern that the exercise, which requires voters to provide documents that few people possess, could disenfranchise a large number of people, particularly those from marginalized communities like Dalits, Muslims, and the Other Backward Classes.
He alleged that the aim is to remove names from the voter list and subsequently deprive these people of social welfare schemes. Yadav also criticized the Election Commission’s plan to complete such a large exercise within 25 days, a timeframe he deemed impossible. He challenged the central government to conduct a caste census within two months if the process is indeed feasible. Pawan Khera echoed these sentiments, criticizing the Election Commission for what he perceived as inaction and bias. He also suggested that Bihar could be a testing ground for similar exercises across the country. Dipankar Bhattacharya, who had written a letter to the Election Commission expressing his dissent, called the proposed revision illogical and a potential nightmare, given that it will be carried out during the monsoon season when a large part of the state is affected by floods.