New Delhi, October 1 (IANS) The Special Intensive Amendment (SIR) has triggered a political storm after the release of the final voter list for Bihar, in which the BJP and the Congress have rapidly offered the opposite stories. While the BJP claims that the purpose of this process was to remove fake voters and clean the rolls, the Congress allegedly accused the voter exclusion, especially of poor and marginalized communities.
BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi defended Sir practice, emphasizing that it is part of a regular democratic process.
“The main objective is to protect voters and review and remove bogus voters. This is not the first time that such practice has been done in the country. Since the onset of the election process, the voter lists have been reviewed several times, and necessary changes have been made,” NAQVI said.
On the other hand, Congress leaders have raised serious concerns. State President of Uttar Pradesh Congress Ajay Rai criticized the Election Commission, alleging that real voters were being excluded without proper justification.
“In Bihar, the issue of voter exclusion raised by Rahul Gandhi is very serious. The way poor and common people have been denied their right to vote by the Election Commission, it is unacceptable. They should not be excluded; instead, they should be included. The Aadhaar card should be recognized as a valid document, and the names of such people should be included,”
The Election Commission announced the completion of the special intensive amendment (SIR) of the election role in Bihar and published the final list, which includes 7.42 crore voters.
Congress leader Udit Raj accused a nationwide pattern of manipulation. He said, “If the opposition did not protest and took the matter to the Supreme Court, then 2.1 million new voters whose names have now been added are still missing. Is any of them manipulated, it is yet to be seen.”
“A model is being followed in states like Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Maharashtra, where fake voters are added, while opposition supporters are removed from the role. Updated voter list was released tomorrow. Our party is studying it in detail. The matter is already already before the Supreme Court, and our further strategy will be announced,” he said.
On Tuesday, the Election Commission declared a successful conclusion of the SIR process. According to official data, till June 24, 7.89 crore was in the voter list.
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Rupee/DPB