Final Bihar voter list to release today amid SC scrutiny
What's the story
The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in Bihar has concluded, with the final voter lists set to be published on Tuesday. The exercise was conducted after a gap of 22 years, and draft electoral rolls were released on August 1. The process allowed voters and political parties to file "claims and objections" till September 1.
Political backlash
Supreme Court warns of voter list scrapping
The SIR exercise has been under intense scrutiny, with opposition parties accusing the Election Commission of mass voter exclusion, particularly of poor and minority communities, who might support the opposition. The matter reached the Supreme Court after petitioners warned that the revision process could disenfranchise eligible voters. Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi have warned they would not hesitate to scrap the final voter list if any irregularities are found.
Identity verification
Court allows Aadhaar for voter registration
The Supreme Court has also allowed Aadhaar as a valid identity document for voter registration, apart from 11 other documents, despite initial objections from the Election Commission. The court overruled the EC's claims about forgery, with the judges saying that instead of "en masse exclusion," there should be "en masse inclusion." Notably, multiple opposition parties slammed the timing, intent, and process of the SIR exercise.
Allegations of manipulation
Rahul Gandhi accuses BJP, EC of collusion
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has accused the EC and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of colluding to manipulate the electoral process in Bihar. He alleged that data from various areas indicated a rigged process aimed at engineering a landslide win for the BJP. Despite these allegations, the Election Commission has dismissed them as unfounded and asked Gandhi to submit an affidavit supporting his claims.
Upcoming elections
Bihar Assembly elections expected to be announced soon
The term of the current 243-member Bihar Assembly ends on November 22. Per reports, the Election Commission will announce the election schedule after a visit to Patna on October 4 and October 5, where they will review poll preparedness. The first phase of elections is likely to be held soon after the Chhath festival in late October.