RJD’s Explosive Claim: Election Commission’s Voter List Revision in Bihar Lacks Transparency

Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Yadav has accused the Election Commission of India (EC) of conducting the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Bihar’s electoral roll in a non-transparent manner, alleging that the EC failed to follow its own guidelines. In an interview with PTI, Yadav declared that the RJD and other opposition parties, backed by public support, will take the issue to the streets, warning that undermining transparency threatens democracy itself. “If you remove people from a democracy, what is left?” he questioned.

Yadav criticized the SIR process, which concluded with the publication of Bihar’s draft electoral roll on Friday, claiming it lacked proper oversight. He alleged that booth-level officers (BLOs) were absent for the first 20 days, conducted minimal physical verifications, and uploaded forms with “false and fabricated signatures” without supporting documents.

He challenged the EC’s claim that 25 lakh voters were deceased or had migrated within five months of the last summary revision, which removed 4.5 lakh names, questioning the absence of corroboration from Bihar’s birth and death registrar. “Do the figures match the records?” he asked, demanding evidence of BLOs making mandatory three-time household visits or issuing notices before removing names.

The RJD leader also dismissed EC claims of foreign nationals in the voter list, noting that the EC’s 700-page Supreme Court affidavit made no mention of Bangladeshis or Rohingyas. He held the BJP-led central and state governments, in power for 11 and 20 years respectively, accountable for any such lapses, calling it a “total failure of governance.” Yadav pointed out that elections, including the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, were conducted using the same electoral roll, making the government responsible for any irregularities.

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Expressing dissatisfaction with the EC’s responses, Yadav criticized their “one-way communication” during meetings in Delhi and Patna, alleging a “partial attitude.” He referenced the opposition’s recent Bihar Bandh as a response to the EC’s handling of the SIR and vowed further street protests if transparency issues persist. “The people are with us on this issue of democracy,” he asserted, emphasizing the opposition’s united resolve.

The SIR, launched in June with 7.93 crore registered voters, involved distributing enumeration forms through BLOs or booth-level agents (BLAs) for voter verification. By July 25, the EC reported that 7.23 crore voters submitted forms, while 35 lakh were deemed migrated or untraceable, 22 lakh were deceased, and seven lakh were duplicate registrations. An additional 1.2 lakh voters reportedly did not submit forms.

The EC has assured that no names will be removed from the draft roll, open for claims and objections until September 1, without due process. However, Yadav’s allegations highlight growing tensions over electoral integrity as Bihar approaches its assembly polls, with the opposition poised to escalate its campaign for transparency.

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