"Inaccurate Voter List Claim Disputed by Polling Authority: P Chidambaram's Large Voter Base Under Scrutiny"
In a political whirlwind, the publication of the draft electoral roll in Bihar has sparked a firestorm of questions and claims from opposition parties. The controversy has since expanded to Tamil Nadu, where the state is resisting a nationwide Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) is pushing forward with the SIR exercise, aiming to remove duplicate and ineligible voters to protect the integrity of voter lists. However, the exercise has faced criticism in Bihar, with allegations that it risks deleting legitimate voters, particularly from certain communities, potentially to engineer electoral outcomes favourable to the ruling party (BJP).
In Bihar, more than 65 lakh enumeration forms were "not included" in the draft electoral rolls, reducing the total number of registered voters to 7.24 crore from around 7.9 crore. The opposition parties and civil society have raised concerns about the transparency of the exercise carried out by the Election Commission in Bihar, with the RJD questioning its fairness.
Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram has questioned the Election Commission as to how it came to the conclusion that several lakh voters in Bihar have "permanently migrated", resulting in "deletion" of their names from the voters' list. He has also criticized the SIR in Bihar and claimed lakhs of names could be deleted from the voter list.
In response, the ECI maintains that the SIR exercise is a constitutional duty essential for free and fair elections and has denied claims of misconduct. The EC stated that it is for the voters to come forward and get enrolled in the constituency where they are eligible.
Meanwhile, in Tamil Nadu, the Chief Minister M.K. Stalin strongly opposes the SIR exercise and has demanded its scrapping, warning it is being misused to disenfranchise marginalized and dissenting communities, similar to issues seen in Bihar.
The ECI has clarified that the SIR has not yet been rolled out in Tamil Nadu, and it has rejected allegations of mass voter additions in the state as baseless. Stalin has explicitly linked the Tamil Nadu opposition to the Bihar controversy, saying the Delhi government fears losing votes and is attempting to suppress them by manipulating electoral rolls via the SIR process.
In the first stage of SIR, voters were provided with "enumeration forms" which they were to return after putting their signatures and appending documents acceptable as proof of identity. The first stage in Bihar has been completed, but the second stage (verification) has not yet started.
The ECI has also fact-checked Mr Chidambaram, accusing him of floating "false figures" about enrollment of 6.5 lakh voters in Tamil Nadu. The EC stated that it is for the voters to come forward and get enrolled in the constituency where they are eligible, echoing its stance in Bihar.
Voters with complaints of wrongful deletion of names can approach the authorities concerned, seeking a remedy by September 1. The EC has emphasized that all citizens have the right to reside and settle in any part of the territory of India, as per Article 19(1)(e).
The controversies in Bihar and Tamil Nadu underscore the importance of transparency and fairness in the electoral process. The ECI will continue to face scrutiny as it strives to ensure free and fair elections across the country.
References: [1] https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/tamil-nadu-opposes-ec-s-sir-exercise/article36121801.ece [2] https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/bihar-election-roll-row-eci-says-no-objections-received-on-draft-voters-list-2547509 [3] https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/bihar-election-roll-row-chidambaram-accuses-ec-of-floating-false-figures-about-enrollment-in-tamil-nadu/story-zBz0lqUjg9gKkJB8l5y8bI.html [4] https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/bihar/bihar-election-roll-row-chidambaram-questions-ec-on-deletion-of-names/article36119945.ece
- The controversy surrounding the SIR exercise for electoral rolls in Bihar, characterized by allegations of unfair removal of legitimate voters and questions about transparency, has led to a broader discussion about policy-and-legislation related to voter registration.
- As the Election Commission of India (ECI) continues to defend the SIR exercise in both Bihar and Tamil Nadu, drawing criticism from opposition parties and civil society, issues of politics and general-news are becoming increasingly entwined in the debate over the integrity and fairness of the electoral process nationwide.
