New Delhi: The Congress Thursday said the INDIA bloc is considering the unprecedented option of boycotting the upcoming Bihar assembly election as it will “not accept” the voter rolls being prepared through the Election Commission’s ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in the state.
The All India Congress Committee’s Bihar in-charge Krishna Allavaru told a press conference here that the INDIA bloc parties jointly contesting the polls in Bihar are in talks over the issue. On Wednesday, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav had first stated that the boycott option is on the table for the Opposition.
“We challenge Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar to pick 1000 random people in every constituency in Bihar and scrutinise if the laid down processes are being followed or not. Even if 25 percent turns out to be genuine, then we will accept this procedure. The truth is this voter list is of the BJP and Gyanesh Kumar. We don’t accept it,” Allavaru said.
Asked if the Congress is aligned with Tejashwi’s view of boycotting the polls, Allavaru said, “The INDIA bloc has maintained from day one that the SIR is designed to steal the elections. So talks are underway on all options. One thing is clear that the votes of people of Bihar are being stolen. All our routes are open. All options are being considered.”
The INDIA bloc parties have been protesting against the SIR in Parliament as well, demanding a discussion on the contentious exercise which has also been challenged in the Supreme Court (SC). Outside Parliament, when Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi was asked about Tejashwi’s statement, he said voter list irregularities have also surfaced in Karnataka.
“We just looked at one constituency (in Karnataka) and we found this. I am absolutely convinced that constituency after constituency this is the drama that is taking place…I want to send a message to the Election Commission—if you think you are going to get away with this, if your officers think they are going to get away with this, you are mistaken, you are not going to get away with this because we are going to come for you,” Rahul told reporters.
The SC will take up the Bihar SIR for hearing on 28 July next. On 10 July, the court had asked the EC to consider Aadhar, ration card, and voter IDs as identity proofs under SIR.
However, in its written submission to the court, the EC said these three documents cannot be treated as standalone valid documents for the revision of the electoral rolls and can only supplement other proofs.
“In the past, there used to be booth capturing. Now the BJP is stealing voter lists through the EC. We are in no mood to accept this process. Gyanesh Kumar has sullied the legacy of the EC,” Allavaru said.
Responding to a query on whether the INDIA bloc has reached out to Prashant Kishor, whose party Jan Suraaj is also a player in the Bihar electoral fray, the Congress leader said every party opposed to SIR was welcome to join forces with the Opposition.
“Those who don’t oppose it are with the BJP,” he said.
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