WHAT IS HAPPENING IN BIHAR IS HAPPENING FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THE ELECTORAL HISTORY OF INDIA: DIPANKAR

WHAT IS HAPPENING IN BIHAR IS HAPPENING FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THE ELECTORAL HISTORY OF INDIA: DIPANKAR

8-JULY-ENG 7

RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWAL

ARA------------------------------Dipankar Bhattacharya, General Secretary, Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist), said that the Special Voter Revision (SIR) being conducted by the Election Commission in Bihar is an unprecedented and worrying event in the electoral history of India. It is not only unconstitutional, but is also going to put the voting rights of crores of people in danger. No such example has been seen in any state of the country before this.

He told that the India Alliance had gone to Delhi and met the Election Commission, but did not get any satisfactory answer from there. The attitude of the Commission was very insensitive and evasive. Crores of people in Bihar are worried and apprehensive about this process, but the Commission is only saying that everything will be fine. K. Bhattacharya raised the question that if this process is according to the Constitution, then were the elections that were being held for the last 70 years against the Constitution? Was the 2024 Lok Sabha election illegal? The Commission says that this is the new Election Commission. The new thing is that the law made by the BJP government for the selection of the Election Commission did not leave any scope for impartiality. The Commission is now working at the behest of the ruling party. For the first time in history, the Election Commission has started such a revision process while interpreting the Constitution, which has actually turned into a citizenship check. In the eyes of the Election Commission, all voters made after 2003 are doubtful citizens. Even voters registered before 2003 are not safe; they are also being asked to fill forms. If there is any error in these, their names will also be removed from the voter list. This is the same model that was adopted during NRC in Assam, which had dire consequences. Lakhs of people were declared 'D voters', some were sent to detention camps, some were tried to be sent to Bangladesh, then they were brought back and considered citizens of India. The same game is now being repeated in Bihar. It is estimated that out of 8 crore voters, about 5 to 5.5 crore people may fall prey to this process.

Bhattacharya particularly expressed concern about the rights of migrant workers. The Election Commission believes that those who live outside Bihar - about 20 percent of the voters may be removed from the voter list. This attitude is extremely discriminatory. The hardworking people of the country, who go to work in another state, do not get cut off from their roots. At the time of elections, they return to their state and exercise their franchise.

Similarly, sharecroppers, ASHA, Anganwadi and Mid-Day Meal Scheme workers have also not been given identity cards. It was the government's responsibility to provide them with identity cards. Providing birth certificates is also the government's job, but instead of fulfilling its responsibilities, the government is blaming the voters.

Some people are trying to justify this process in the name of removing intruders. But monitoring India's borders is the responsibility of the central government and the BSF. If a person is coming illegally, then it is the failure of the central government, not the general public. Its responsibility cannot be imposed on the public.

Now the situation has become such that a person has to prove his citizenship before becoming a voter. This is a direct attack on the principle of universal suffrage of democracy. With the implementation of the Constitution, every adult citizen in India got the right to vote, but today it is being made limited and selective.

Our demands are that the SIR process going on in Bihar should be canceled immediately. The upcoming elections should be held on the basis of the old voter list.

CPI (ML) State Secretary Kunal informed that it has been decided by CPI (ML) and India Alliance that on 9 July 2025, there will be a chakka jam across Bihar and the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) will be gheraoed in Patna. This movement is related to the rights of the common people. Every citizen is appealed to come out on the streets and join the struggle to protect their voting rights.

AIPWA General Secretary Meena Tiwari, MLC Shashi Yadav and senior leader Ka. KD Yadav were also present at the press conference.