A contentious voter list revision in Bihar has drawn sharp criticism from opposition parties, who are targeting both the Election Commission and the BJP. The Election Commission has removed 6.5 million names from the voter list. Samajwadi Party MP Dharmendra Yadav has called on the Election Commission to compel the resignation of those Bihar MPs who were elected based on the votes of these 6.5 million people, suggesting those votes were invalid.
In addition, Yadav discussed a bill in Parliament concerning the removal of the Prime Minister and Chief Ministers for serious offenses. He described the bill, which proposes the removal of these leaders after 30 days of detention, as the BJP’s ultimate gambit. He further alleged that the BJP government is attempting to introduce new fraudulent laws daily, and that even their allies in the NDA (National Democratic Alliance) would not support the bill.
Key Points on the Removal of 6.5 Million Voters
The voter list revision in Bihar has generated significant controversy. The draft voter list, released on August 9, indicated that around 22.34 lakh names were removed due to reported deaths, while 36.28 lakh names were removed due to permanent migration. An additional 7.01 lakh names were excluded because the individuals were not found at their registered addresses.
Numerous petitions have been filed in the Supreme Court, challenging this Special Intensive Revision (SIR), which is currently being implemented only in Bihar, which is gearing up for assembly elections in the coming months. A primary claim in these petitions is that the name removal process lacked transparency.
MP’s Demand: Resignations and New Elections
During the debate, the Azamgarh MP stated, “I want to ask the Election Commission, if the voter list contains 6.5 million incorrect names, how can the MPs elected on the basis of those votes be considered legitimate? Those MPs must resign, and new elections should be held. If the voter list was flawed, then the election of the MPs was naturally flawed as well.”
The Bill Concerning Removal of PMs and CMs
On August 18th, the Election Commission revealed that approximately 6.5 million names had been removed from the draft electoral rolls in Bihar under the SIR process. Addressing the bill on removing PMs and CMs, Yadav stated that it is not a constitutional amendment but, in fact, unconstitutional. He viewed this as a final move by the BJP, accusing them of trying to introduce new, fraudulent laws daily. The Samajwadi Party, along with the broader opposition, has opposed the bill.
He further added, “Even their own coalition partners won’t support this. Those who are not aligned with the central government will be targeted, even if they belong to the BJP.”
Responding to Pooja Pal, an expelled Samajwadi Party MLA who claimed to fear for her safety, Yadav dismissed it as a political stunt. Furthermore, he expressed his confidence in the victory of the India alliance candidate, B. Sudarshan Reddy, in the Vice-Presidential election.