The Final Voter Roll Is Set To Be Released Today, With The Supreme Court Monitoring The Process Amid Opposition Protests And Political Tensions, Highlighting Key Questions About Electoral Fairness And Bihar Assembly Poll Preparations.
The Special Intensive Voter Roll Revision (SIR) in Bihar has concluded, with the new electoral lists set to be published today.
The election schedule is anticipated to be announced next week.
The draft rolls included 7.24 crore voters.
The initial phase of the elections is anticipated to occur shortly after the Chhath festival at the end of October.
Here are the key points regarding this development
1. Revision After Two Decades
The Special Initiative for Revision (SIR) aimed at updating voter rolls in Bihar began with the release of draft rolls on August 1.
This initiative allowed voters and political parties to submit “claims and objections” until September 1.
2. Intense Scrutiny and Opposition Pushback
The exercise has faced significant backlash from Opposition parties, who have accused the Election Commission of attempting widespread voter exclusion. Many parties have called for a stay to the process.
3.Matter Reaches Supreme Court
Concerns about potential disenfranchisement sparked legal challenges. Petitioners approached the Supreme Court, warning that the revision process could deny voting rights to eligible citizens. The next hearing is scheduled for October 7.
4. Supreme Court Warns of Possible Scrapping
A bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi indicated they would not hesitate to invalidate the final voter list if irregularities were discovered. The judges have permitted Aadhaar to be used as an identity document, even though it was not included in the Commission’s original list of 11 acceptable documents for voters.
The court stressed the importance of inclusivity, ruling against any mass exclusion of voters.
Rejecting the election commission’s concerns about forgery, the judges stated that voters should be “included en masse” rather than “excluded en masse.”
5. Aadhaar Allowed as ID
The court overruled the objections of the Election Commission and permitted the use of Aadhaar as a valid identity document for voter registration, even though it was not initially included among the 11 accepted forms of ID.
6.Opposition Alleges Bias
Several Opposition leaders argue that the revision process disproportionately impacts poor and minority communities, traditionally seen as part of their voter base. They accuse the ruling BJP of manipulating the process for electoral advantage.
7.Rahul Gandhi Targets EC, BJP
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has alleged a collusion between the Election Commission and the BJP. Citing data from various regions, he claims the process is rigged to secure a landslide victory for the BJP in Bihar.
8.Poll Body Denies Charges
The Election Commission has dismissed these allegations and has requested Gandhi to submit an affidavit to support his claims. They maintain that the revision was conducted fairly and that no eligible citizen will be omitted from the rolls.
9.‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’ In Protest
In response to the Commission’s stance, Gandhi and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav initiated a ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’ across Bihar to raise awareness and protest what they term “vote theft.”
The term of the current 243-member Bihar Assembly concludes on November 22. Sources indicate that the Election Commission is expected to announce the election schedule following a visit to Patna on October 4–5, where it will assess poll preparedness.
The Commission has reiterated its commitment to ensuring that no eligible citizen is excluded from the voter list while also preventing ineligible individuals from being included.
As political tensions rise in Bihar, the publication of the final voter list and the Supreme Court’s upcoming hearing will be closely monitored. The state is poised to be a significant battleground ahead of the assembly elections, with the electoral roll at the heart of a growing political controversy.
The last assembly elections in Bihar were conducted in three phases amid the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
FOLLOW US FOR MORE LEGAL UPDATES ON YOUTUBE
