The Congress party has strongly opposed the special intensive revision of voter lists in Bihar, claiming it infringes upon the rights of the state’s residents. The party views this revision as a strategic move, designed to verify voter identities and demand proof of citizenship, right before the upcoming assembly elections. Pawan Khera, the AICC Media and Publicity Department Chairman, condemned the move as a conspiracy targeting voters’ rights, identity, and citizenship.
Khera questioned the timing of the revision, given the monsoon season and the prevalence of floods in Bihar, as well as why this revision wasn’t conducted immediately after the Lok Sabha elections. He accused the Election Commission of bias, alleging it is influenced by the BJP. The Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), a coalition of opposition parties, also condemned the Election Commission’s plan for an intensive revision of the voter list, calling it a scheme to benefit the BJP-led NDA in the coming elections.
Opposition leaders like Tejashwi Yadav, Pawan Khera, and Dipankar Bhattacharya voiced their strong opposition to the revision, confirming that a delegation would be sent to the Election Commission and additional steps would be taken if their grievances weren’t addressed. Tejashwi Yadav criticized the Election Commission’s sudden urgency, questioning why the revision was not done after the Lok Sabha elections. He suggested that the ruling coalition might have instructed the Election Commission to conduct the revision to help them in the upcoming elections. He raised concerns that this exercise could disenfranchise many voters, particularly those from marginalized communities.
Yadav suggested that the aim could be to remove names from the voter list, potentially depriving people of social welfare schemes. He criticized the Election Commission’s plan to complete such a large exercise within 25 days. Pawan Khera echoed these criticisms, implying that Bihar might be a testing ground for similar exercises across the country. Dipankar Bhattacharya, who had already written to the Election Commission to express his disapproval, described the revision as illogical.
