Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has strongly criticised the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, calling it an attack on democratic rights.
"They are murdering democracy. We have been opposing this from the beginning, and what’s happening is completely wrong," she said.
In a post on X, the Wayanad MP further alleged that the revision process was being used as a tool to disenfranchise voters.
“After manipulating voter rolls in Maharashtra by adding bogus names, a similar attempt is now being made in Bihar by deleting names from the list. The so-called ‘vote ban’ disguised as Special Intensive Revision is nothing but a conspiracy to deprive citizens of their constitutional right to vote. We are firmly committed to resisting all efforts to undermine the Constitution. Today, I joined a protest in the Parliament complex against this voter suppression in Bihar, along with Leader of Opposition Shri Rahul Gandhi and other INDIA bloc leaders,” she wrote.
Meanwhile, Rashtriya Janata Dal leader and former Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi, along with other Members of the Legislative Council (MLCs) from the INDIA alliance, staged a demonstration outside the Bihar Vidhan Parishad.
Clad in black attire, they protested against the SIR drive, alleging that it was being misused ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections.
SIR in Supreme Court
The matter has reached the Supreme Court, which, while declining to halt the electoral roll revision process in Bihar, raised concerns about its timing—just months before the state goes to polls.
The court also urged the Election Commission of India (ECI) to consider including documents like Aadhaar, voter ID, and ration card in the list of acceptable proofs for the verification process, noting that these were missing from the current list of 11 approved documents.
In its update to the court, the ECI stated that, as of July 18, it had collected enumeration forms from 90.12% of Bihar's estimated 7.9 crore voters. When adjustments are made for deceased voters and those who have permanently moved away, the revision exercise effectively covers 94.68% of the electorate.
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