Political turmoil erupted in Bihar when Leader of Opposition and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav hinted at boycotting the Assembly elections. He alleged that the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) campaign of the voter list in the state is biased and millions of voters are being excluded from the list. Tejashwi Yadav demanded a detailed discussion on this issue during the Monsoon session and accused the government of abolishing voter rights.
After this statement by Tejashwi, the question arose whether other parties of the Grand Alliance would stand with him in this move. Currently, reactions of the allied parties have come to the fore, but everyone's opinion does not seem to be the same.
No decision yet on boycott
The CPI (ML), a partner in the Grand Alliance, has clarified that no concrete decision has been taken so far regarding the election boycott. Party MLA Ajit Kushwaha said that this issue is serious, but any decision will be taken only after mutual consultation. He admitted that large-scale irregularities are coming to light in the voter list, and if this situation persists, the party may consider the option of a boycott.
Congress's stance
The reaction of Congress leaders on this issue has been somewhat restrained. Senior leader Tariq Anwar said that the party has not taken any final decision yet, but Tejashwi Yadav is a major leader of the opposition and the Grand Alliance, so his statement cannot be ignored. He also said that the role of the Election Commission seems suspicious and given the way the voter list is being tampered with, any big decision can be taken.
At the same time, Congress Rajya Sabha MP Akhilesh Prasad Singh said that the party is in favor of transparent and fair elections. He demanded that elections be held on the basis of the voter list that has already been approved. He described Tejashwi Yadav's statement as inspired by outrage and said that outrage is natural when people are being deprived of their voting rights.
CPM's reaction
CPM MLA Ajay Kumar also stated that big decisions like election boycott cannot be taken alone. He said that if a decision has to be taken, the Grand Alliance will take it together and the situation will become clear when the time comes.
