New Delhi, Oct 1 The release of the final voter list for Bihar following the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) has triggered a political storm, with the BJP and Congress offering sharply contrasting narratives. While the BJP claims the process was aimed at cleaning up the rolls by removing fake voters, the Congress alleges mass voter exclusion, particularly of the poor and marginalised communities.
BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi defended the SIR exercise, emphasising that it is part of a routine democratic process.
“The main objective is to protect bona fide voters and to review and remove bogus voters. This is not the first time such an exercise has been carried out in the country. Since the beginning of the electoral process, voter lists have been reviewed multiple times, and necessary changes have been made,” Naqvi said.
On the other hand, Congress leaders have raised serious concerns. Uttar Pradesh Congress state president Ajay Rai criticised the Election Commission, alleging that genuine voters were being excluded without proper justification.
“In Bihar, the issue of voter exclusion raised by Rahul Gandhi is very serious. The manner in which poor and ordinary people have been deprived of their right to vote by the Election Commission is unacceptable. They should not be excluded; instead, they must be included. The Aadhaar card should be recognised as a valid document, and the names of such people should be added to the voter list,” Rai said.
The Election Commission announced the completion of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar and published the final list, which includes 7.42 crore electors.
Congress leader Udit Raj alleged a nationwide pattern of manipulation. He stated, “If the opposition had not protested and taken the matter to the Supreme Court, the 2.1 million new voters whose names have now been added would still be missing. Whether any manipulation has occurred among them remains to be seen."
"There is a model being followed across states like Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Maharashtra, where fake voters are added while opposition supporters are removed from the rolls. The updated voter list was released yesterday. Our party is studying it in detail. The matter is already before the Supreme Court, and our further strategy will be announced soon,” he added.
On Tuesday, the Election Commission declared the successful conclusion of the SIR process. According to official figures, 7.89 crore voters were on the list as of June 24.
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