Voter roll revision most important issue in upcoming polls, expect protests: CPI(ML) gen sec

The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, termed as 'vote-bandi' by opposition parties, is likely to become the most important issue in the upcoming assembly polls, CPI(ML) Liberation general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya said on Friday, adding that large-scale agitations can be expected if the decision is not rolled back.

In an interview with PTI, Bhattacharya also said protests against the SIR exercise will be held as a part of the July 9 strike against the labour code and other issues. More protests are expected in the days to come, he added.

The SIR exercise, which has started in Bihar, involves the preparation of a fresh voter list. According to the Election Commission's (EC's) announcement, those born before July 1, 1987 will have to provide a document for themselves; those born between July 1, 1987 and December 2, 2004 will have to furnish documents for themselves and one parent; while individuals born after December 2, 2004 will have to submit documents for themselves and both parents.

Bhattacharya said during the Lok Sabha polls held in 2024, the narrative of the Constitution being under threat was a key issue. He said the EC's move has ''brought the narrative home''.

According to the CPI(ML) general secretary, SIR will probably be the greatest agenda of the election. The Constitution was the main theme in the 2024 Lok Sabha election, he said.

''This whole narrative of the Constitution being in danger, the Election Commission has now brought it home. Everybody understands now why the Constitution is so important and why we are saying that the Constitution is today threatened. So, probably this will energise the voters,'' Bhattacharya said.

''The voters will come and express their anger through their vote. I mean, provided their names are still there on the voting list, of course,'' he said.

The CPI(ML) leader said the move over SIR, made without holding consultation with political parties, was like a ''surgical strike''. People in Bihar are agitated about it, he added.

''Wherever people have come to know about it (SIR), they are agitating. They are very apprehensive that this means disenfranchisement. We are going to amplify their voice, organise them,'' Bhattacharya said.

He is of the view that voting right is going to be a key issue during the strike on July 9. The strike was originally against the labour codes but now voting right is going to affect the migrant workers and the non-organised workers of Bihar. They are going to be badly affected, he said.

''Bihar will respond vigorously, and mass agitation is probably the only way left in democracy,'' he said, adding that the option of approaching the court has also not been ruled out.

The CPI(ML) leader pointed out that migrant workers will be hugely impacted, especially with the EC's emphasis on voters having to be ''ordinarily resident'' of the constituency.

''About 'ordinarily resident', what the Election Commissioner told us, that maybe within a month, if the BLA (booth level agent) or the BLO (booth level officer) visits a house three times, at least on one occasion they should be available. I think that is absurd. When people migrate for work, they migrate for months together,'' he said.

He recalled that a large number of migrant workers had to walk back to Bihar months before the last assembly polls held in 2020.

''If we remember the Covid lockdown period, all of the Bihar migrant workers walked back to Bihar. Why? They are ordinarily residents of Bihar,'' he said.

He also took a dig at Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, who said at a recent event that eligible citizens should register themselves as voters only in constituencies of which they are ordinary residents and not the place where they own a house.

''You are talking about house owners, but these are workers. These are workers whose hutments are being bulldozed right now in Delhi,'' he said.

Bhattacharya said ''mass disenfranchisement'' is in store for the people of Bihar, appealing again to the EC to stop the exercise.

The CPI(ML) leader questioned if this is an attempt to create ''two categories of citizens''.

''I don't know if you are trying to create two categories of citizens in India. This is precisely what many people say that some people will be reduced to second-grade citizens,'' he said.

He also wondered why NDA partners like the JD(U), LJP (RV) and HAM were not opposing the move.

''This is very, very surprising. Because, to the best of our knowledge, there has been no consultation with any parties. I don't know if there has been some consultation with some parties. If they have been taken on board and that's why probably they don't see any problem with it,'' he said.

Asked about the EC's stand that ''eligible voters'' will not be left out, Bhattacharya, who has called the exercise ''vote-bandi'', said, ''This is a catch-22 kind of a situation. The Constitution says that every citizen has a voting right. And now, if you are depriving people of that, it almost amounts to depriving them of their citizenship.'' He alleged that the EC is doubting the citizenship of people.

''This is precisely what you are doubting, that they are not valid Indian citizens. This eligibility test, this is essentially a citizenship test,'' he added.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)