Bihar electoral revision row: Opposition meets EC; dubs the exercise as ‘votebandi’ | India News

NEW DELHI: A delegation of 11 opposition events met the Election Commission on Wednesday and objected the ongoing intensive revision of the electoral rolls in Bihar simply months forward of the upcoming meeting elections.The delegation dubbed the exercise as “Votebandi” and claimed that it will put democracy in the state “under threat”Briefing the media after the assembly with the ballot physique, senior Congress chief Abhishek Manu Singhvi mentioned the timing of the revision raised severe issues.“This exercise involves verifying over 7.75 crore voters in Bihar. With barely 2–3 months left for the assembly polls, such a massive exercise is neither practical nor fair,” he mentioned, calling it a violation of the degree taking part in area important free of charge and honest elections.Singhvi, accompanied by RJD MP Manoj Jha, CPM’s Dipankar Bhattacharya, Bihar Congress chief Rajesh Kumar, and others, mentioned the delegation additionally expressed robust disapproval of the EC’s new rule limiting the variety of celebration representatives in such conferences. He mentioned senior leaders like Jairam Ramesh and Pawan Khera have been denied entry and made to attend outdoors.“This kind of limitation on who can meet the Commission — capping it at two people including the party president — is unprecedented and arbitrary,” Singhvi mentioned.‘Votebandi’Calling the exercise as ‘Votebandi,’ Bhattacharya claimed that the Commission admitted that 20% of Bihar’s voters reside outdoors the state, which successfully means they might lose their proper to vote.This is nothing lower than ‘votebandi’ for Bihar,” he said, comparing the exercise to the demonetisation, or ‘notebandi’, carried out in 2016.“There appears to be a failure on our half to persuade the Election Commission that one month will not be sufficient for lakhs of voters to submit identification paperwork. Democracy in Bihar is beneath risk. A significant individuals’s motion is now mandatory,” he added.Meeting ‘not cordial’RJD leader Jha said that the meeting with the poll body was “not cordial.”“We expressed our concern about the poor, backward courses in Bihar. We noticed a scarcity of concern from the Election Commission,” he mentioned.“Is this an effort to disenfranchise individuals? The 20 per cent Biharis who migrate outdoors the state are the goal. If the objective of an exercise turns into exclusion as a substitute of inclusion, what ought to we do? Are you looking for uncertain voters in Bihar?” he added.‘Concerns absolutely raised’Sources, however told PTI that some of the participants were given an appointment and others were allowed to join in without any prior appointment, as the Commission decided to meet two representatives from every party.They also said each concern raised by the parties was “absolutely addressed” by the Commission.The poll body has taken up the mantle of weeding out foreign illegal migrants from the voting list of six states – starting from Bihar.According to the poll body, it is part of its crackdown on illegal immigrants from countries like Nepal, Bangladesh, and Myanmar.The poll panel reminded the constitutional provision that says only Indian citizens can vote. “The Constitution of India is supreme. All residents, political events, and the Election Commission of India observe the Constitution,” EC said in a statement.The EC said the special revision has already started successfully in Bihar for verifying the eligibility of each elector with “full participation” of all political parties.The poll panel already has nearly 78,000 booth-level officers (BLOs) and is appointing over 20,000 more for new polling stations, it said.More than one lakh volunteers will be assisting genuine electors, particularly the old, sick, persons with disabilities, poor, and other vulnerable groups during the special intensive revision.Out of the existing 7,89,69,844 electors, 4.96 crore electors, whose names are already in the last intensive revision of the Electoral Roll on January 1, 2003, have to “merely confirm so, fill the Enumeration Form and submit it”.