The opposition discussed the voter list with the EC for 3 hours, the commission made it clear that the name of any valid voter will not be deleted

On the issue of verification of voter list in Bihar, opposition parties led by Congress met the Election Commission on Wednesday and raised questions on the entire verification process and said that why is the work that was not done in the state in the last 22 years being done suddenly now. Were the elections held in these 22 years wrong?

Also expressing their deep concern over the large number of people being excluded from the voter list in the verification process, the opposition parties claimed that the Election Commission intends to exclude at least 20 percent of the people from the voter list. In this, most of the migrant Bihari workers and laborers are especially targeted.

The meeting with the commission lasted for three hours
The opposition parties expressed deep unhappiness over the adamant attitude of the commission during the talks regarding the participation of only two people from each party in the meeting, claiming that it had never happened before. In the meeting that lasted for about three hours with the Election Commission, other allies including Congress mainly raised the issue of verification of voter list in Bihar.

Congress MP and senior leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi, while talking to journalists, gave full details of his meeting with the commission. He also said that he asked the commission that what is the reason behind starting the work which was not done for 22 years, suddenly and in this rainy season. Were the elections held in these 22 years illegal? As far as the verification done in 2003 is concerned, it was done in January.

RJD raised the issue

At that time, one year was left for the Lok Sabha elections, while two years were left for the assembly elections. Along with this, the documents that are being sought during verification are such that poor and helpless people cannot provide them. Singhvi said that he told the commission that due to this a large number of people will be excluded from the voter list. If such people are removed from the voter list, then the level playing field will be violated. RJD MP and leader Manoj Jha, who had come to meet the commission, also raised questions on the verification of the voter list and said that this is a big conspiracy to exclude poor, helpless and 20 percent migrant Biharis from the voter list.

As far as providing documents is concerned, a large number of people in Bihar do not have such documents. There is no justification for this verification. What is the sudden need for the work that has not been done for 22 years. During this, he informed about handing over a letter written in this regard to the commission by RJD leader and Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav. He said that his meeting with the commission was not at all cordial. Leaders of 11 parties including CPI (ML), CPI (M) were present in this meeting with the commission.

‘Name of valid voter will not be deleted’

• CPIM leader Dipankar Bhattacharya termed the Election Commission’s sudden special voter list revision as an attempt to snatch the right to vote of the common people of Bihar and claimed that it was clear from the Election Commission’s statements during the meeting that about 20 percent of the names of people will be deleted from the voter list. Therefore, like demonetization, the Commission is banning the voting of the people of Bihar at someone’s behest.
• In a meeting with the leaders of opposition parties on Wednesday, the Commission made it clear that this verification work is being done within the ambit of Article 326 of the Constitution and the Representation of the People Act. This will not delete the name of any valid voter, rather other people including foreign migrants who have got their names added to the voter list wrongly will be excluded.
• In a statement issued after this meeting, the Election Commission said that even though political parties have raised questions on the verification, but 1.5 lakh booth level agents of political parties deployed at booths in Bihar are engaged in this campaign with full force. According to the Commission, it requested the political parties to increase the number of their BLAs. When the issue of permission being given to only two representatives of political parties was raised, it was said that this arrangement was made because some people came without prior permission. All parties were given equal representation and they were heard.