Tejashwi Yadav has accused the Election Commission of removing opposition voters during the voter list revision in Bihar. He has questioned the impartiality of the elections and hinted at a potential boycott.
Bihar Voter List: Ahead of the upcoming assembly elections in Bihar, the political atmosphere is heating up over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) campaign of the voter list. This time, the issue is not just about adding or removing names from the voter list, but also raises serious questions about the transparency and credibility of the entire electoral system. Opposition leader Tejashwi Yadav has indicated that if the situation does not improve, the opposition may take a major step such as boycotting the elections.
Tejashwi Raises Serious Questions
Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav, in a conversation with reporters, said that when elections are not being conducted in a fair manner, why should they participate in the elections? He also added that the possibility of a boycott cannot be ruled out and that this will be discussed with opposition parties. Tejashwi's statement comes at a time when this issue is rapidly gaining momentum in the state's politics.
Questions Raised Over Removal of More Than 5.2 Million Names
Referring to the Election Commission's recent press note, Tejashwi Yadav said that 5.2 to 5.5 million voters have been shown as absent from the voter list. The Commission says that some of these have died, while some have permanently moved to other places. But Tejashwi's question is that if so many people have died or moved, why were these names not removed earlier?
He sarcastically said whether the Election Commission was sleeping before. Is it possible that more than 2.6 million people have left Bihar in just four months? He described this entire process as a political conspiracy and alleged that the Commission is working at the behest of the BJP.
"Now Governments are Choosing the Voters"
Tejashwi Yadav's most pointed statement was, "Earlier, voters used to choose governments, now governments are choosing the voters." He claims that transparency is not being maintained in the entire voter list revision process.
He alleged that the BLOs (Booth Level Officers) are themselves conducting the verification and uploading signatures and documents on the digital platform. The common people do not understand this process and are afraid that if their names are removed, they will be deprived of schemes like ration and pension.
Questions Regarding Documents Too
Tejashwi also said that many of the 11 types of documents that the Commission has demanded for the SIR are not available with the poor and backward classes. He also alleged that the Commission has not recognized documents like Aadhaar, Ration Card, and MNREGA Job Card as proof of citizenship. Due to this, voters are living in an atmosphere of confusion and fear.
Opposition's Allegation
Questioning the impartiality of the Election Commission, Tejashwi Yadav said that if the Commission continues to ignore the apprehensions of the opposition parties, it will be fatal for democracy. He also claimed that the Commission is only fulfilling formalities and collecting data to present in the Supreme Court.
