New Delhi, Jul 3 (PTI) The Communist Party of India (Marxist Leninist) Liberation on Thursday called the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar “vote-bandi” (disenfranchisement), and announced that the party will launch a campaign against it.
CPI(ML) Liberation general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya also said the meeting with the Election Commission on Wednesday did not go well, asserting that everything the opposition parties said “fell on deaf ears”.
Leaders of several INDIA bloc parties had met the EC over the SIR issue and raised concerns over its timing, alleging that over two crore voters of the state may be disenfranchised by this mammoth exercise being done just ahead of assembly elections.
Bhattacharya also questioned why parties like Janata Dal (United), Lok Janshakti Party (RV) and Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) are not concerned with the impact of the exercise on voters, and invited them to join the INDIA bloc parties in their protest against the revision.
He estimated that around five crore voters would have to submit fresh documents and “prove their citizenship”, and claimed that the EC statement that those who were in the voters’ list in 2003 will have nothing to do with the exercise is an illusion.
“…I think 80-90 per cent people have an Aadhaar card. This government has linked Aadhaar card to everything. Now when it comes to voter roll, there is no meaning of Aadhaar card. Now you will see that the EPIC given by the election commission itself has no meaning,” he told reporters here.
He added that documents like driving licence, ration card, and MGNREGA job card have also been ruled out as valid documents, while birth certificates and 10th board certificates are among those being asked for.
“According to the socio-economic survey carried out by the Bihar government, only around 15 per cent people have 10th class certificates,” he said.
He also questioned what would be the fate of migrant workers.
Bhattacharya said one of the key features of the Indian Constitution is “universal adult franchise”, which means every citizen has a right to vote.
“Now if you look at the matriculation certificate, residential proof, if you ask for all these things, effectively it means you are restricting this universal adult franchise,” he said.
He compared the exercise to demonetisation, when the government announced a ban on notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1000. He said the EC announced the exercise suddenly, without consulting any political parties.
“People in Bihar are calling it ‘vote-bandi’ (disenfranchisement),” he said.
He asked why the NDA allies were supporting the move.
“It is about the right to vote… I am surprised NDA partners have no issue with this exercise… It is not that a ‘Musahar’ voting for CPI(ML) will be affected and the one voting for HAM would not be impacted,” he said.
‘Musahar’ is a marginalized Dalit community in Bihar.
He also said that to approach the court over the issue is also an option.
Opposition parties have expressed concern that the SIR may lead to disenfranchisement of many poor and marginal voters who may not have required documents, and would also impact migrant workers.
They also raised concern over the exercise aimed at revising the list of about eight crore voters in the state within a month during the monsoon season, ahead of assembly polls likely to be held in October-November.
The EC has issued instructions to carry out the SIR in Bihar to weed out ineligible names. PTI AO KVK KVK
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