Leader of the Opposition Tejashwi Yadav launched a scathing attack on the state government at a press conference held at his residence today. Bihar Congress President Rajesh Ram, Congress National Spokesperson Pawan Khera, and CPI(ML) National General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya were also present with him on this occasion.
Tejashwi Yadav: Politics has intensified in Bihar concerning next year's assembly elections. The Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance) has particularly raised a major question about the voter list revision campaign initiated by the Election Commission. On this issue, the opposition heavily criticized the ruling BJP-JDU coalition and termed it a conspiracy to snatch away the rights of voters from the poor and weaker sections.
On Thursday, Leader of the Opposition Tejashwi Yadav held a press conference at his residence, which was also attended by Bihar Congress President Rajesh Ram, party spokesperson Pawan Khera, and CPI(ML) General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya. Tejashwi said that the documents being demanded by the Election Commission are not even available to the poor sections. In such a situation, crores of people may be deprived of their right to vote.
Tejashwi Makes Serious Allegations
Terming this voter list verification process as a deep conspiracy, Tejashwi Yadav said, "BJP-JDU is planning to snatch the votes of the poor. This is an attack on democracy. Why the voter list revision after 22 years? And that too when there is a flood and monsoon season in Bihar. Will the poor have so much time to collect all the papers?"
He also said that when such a campaign was launched in 2003, it took two years to complete it, but now it is being said that it will be completed in just two months, which does not seem practically possible.
Which Documents Are Being Demanded?
According to Tejashwi Yadav, the commission has asked voters for documents that are difficult for citizens living in poor and rural areas to possess. For example:
- Young people aged 18 to 20 will have to provide their birth certificates along with their parents' birth certificates.
- People aged 20 to 39 will have to submit documents related to citizenship.
- Voters above 39 years of age will also have to prove their citizenship.
Tejashwi said that these rules are being made to further the RSS agenda so that voters from the weaker sections are prevented from voting.
The Issue of Aadhaar Card Also Raised
Tejashwi Yadav reminded that a few days ago, the Election Commission had talked about linking the voter list with the Aadhaar card, but Aadhaar card is not being recognized in this campaign. He said, "If Aadhaar is to be linked, then why isn't Aadhaar working? Why are such difficult documents being demanded? This is a conspiracy to cut the votes of the poor."
Tejashwi also attacked the RSS and said that a senior leader of the Sangh had recently questioned the Constitution, which clearly shows that this whole matter is a deliberate attempt to weaken democracy.
Why Are Questions Being Raised in the Election Year?
Assembly elections are proposed in Bihar in 2025, and before that, such a revision campaign is bothering many political parties. The opposition believes that this could affect the entire electoral equation. Tejashwi said that the officers who had worked in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections are now handling this revision process, which raises questions about impartiality.
There has been no official reaction from the government and the Election Commission on this allegation so far, but some leaders of the ruling party say that this process is transparent and impartial so that fake voters can be removed and a correct voter list can be prepared.
