Bihar Bandh cripples ECI operations: How the opposition is undermining a legal electoral exercise to stoke unrest
As the Bihar state assembly election approaches, the opposition has once again resorted to questionable practices. False allegations aimed at disrupting the functioning of the Election Commission of India (ECI) have once again gained nationwide attention. Opposition parties, including Lalu Yadav’s Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and other Mahagathbandhan allies such as the Congress, Left parties, Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP), and independent leader Pappu Yadav, have taken to the streets in Bihar to protest against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) being conducted in the state ahead of the assembly elections.
Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition, and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav are expected to join hands and lead a statewide protest in Bihar on July 9. Rahul Gandhi will participate in the protest march starting at 10 a.m. in Patna, from the Income Tax office at Golambar to the Election Commission office. The protest will be directed against the central poll body’s decision to revise electoral rolls and implement the new labour code.
Roads are being blocked with burning tyres by local leaders in areas like Sonpur and Hajipur. In Jehanabad, the student wing of the RJD has even blocked railway tracks. In Hajipur, RJD supporters have blocked the Gandhi Setu, while in Sonpur, RJD MLA Mukesh Roshan has led the blockade. Meanwhile, members of the RJD’s student wing have blocked train tracks at Jehanabad railway station.
The road blockade, or “chakka jam,” comes just ahead of the Bihar assembly elections. Interestingly, it coincides with the “Bharat Bandh,” a protest demanding minimum wage, a new labour code, and addressing several other issues.
Before we delve into why the opposition is engaging in such protests, it is important to understand why the Centre has initiated the Special Intensive Revision.
What is the Special Intensive Revision?
To conduct free and fair elections, enhance transparency, and eliminate ineligible entries from the voter list, the Election Commission has decided to initiate a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Bihar ahead of the assembly elections. The SIR is being implemented as an urgent corrective measure to rectify the electoral rolls.
Launched on June 24, the initiative seeks to include the names of eligible citizens in the voter list while removing those who are no longer eligible. According to the ECI, multiple factors such as rapid urbanisation, the influx of illegal immigrants, inclusion of newly eligible young citizens, unreported deaths, and the presence of names of foreign nationals make this revision critically important.
Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar has said, “Not a single political party is satisfied with the current status of electoral rolls for different reasons. During the past four months, all 4,123 Electoral Registration Officers (EROs), 775 District Election Officers (DEOs), and 36 Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) have conducted nearly 5,000 meetings with 28,000 political party representatives. The ECI has also invited all recognised political parties for interaction. No one was satisfied with the current status of the electoral rolls for one reason or another.”
How will the process function?
To ensure smooth and hassle-free execution of the electoral process, the Election Commission has developed a detailed plan. As per the EC, the Electoral Registration Officers will provide enumeration forms to Booth-Level Officers (BLOs). These BLOs will then distribute the forms to voters via door to door visits. Voters will have the option to upload supporting documents online. Once submitted, the forms will be verified, and a preliminary electoral roll will be published on the websites of both the ECI and the respective Chief Electoral Officers. This draft will also be shared with political parties. Voters and political parties will be allowed to raise objections to the draft list. Once all objections have been reviewed and addressed, the final electoral roll will be released.
The Election Commission aims to publish the draft electoral roll on August 1 and the final list by September 30. As of now, nearly 87 per cent (6.86 crore) of Bihar’s 7.90 crore voters have received enumeration forms during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision, according to the ECI. The Commission also noted that 1.5 crore households have already been covered in the first round of visits by BLOs.
The Election Commission has made it mandatory for voters to submit at least one of 11 listed documents for verification. These include:
- Birth certificates
- Passports
- Identity cards or pension payment orders issued to government employees or pensioners
- Permanent residence certificates
- Forest right certificates
- Caste certificates
- Family registers prepared by state or local authorities
- Land or house allotment certificates issued by the government
Aadhaar is not included in the list of acceptable documents for verification.
Why are they protesting a legal electoral process?
The opposition has raised concerns about the process, claiming it may lead to the exclusion of legitimate voters through the misuse of government machinery. The Congress backed Empowered Action Group of Leaders and Experts (EAGLE) criticized the Election Commission’s move, suggesting that the revision of electoral rolls could end up causing more harm than the issue it intends to address.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also condemned the process, accusing the Election Commission of targeting the youth in Bengal under the guise of verifying voter lists. She pointed out that a new declaration form requires those born between July 1, 1987, and December 2, 2004, to submit their parents’ birth certificates to get enrolled—questioning the necessity and fairness of such a requirement. “What is happening in the name of full enumeration?” she asked, calling the directive irregular and troubling.
Tejashwi Yadav echoed similar sentiments, arguing that the Election Commission’s decision would ultimately disenfranchise poor and marginalised individuals who rely solely on Aadhaar as identification, an ID that the EC now deems unacceptable for verification.
In addition, a group of 11 parties from the INDIA bloc submitted a formal objection to senior Election Commission officials, labelling the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) as a serious threat to the foundational principles of the Constitution.
While the Election Commission maintains that the revision aims to enhance accuracy and transparency in the electoral process, opposition parties appear focused on undermining the initiative without offering concrete alternatives. Their increasingly aggressive demonstrations have begun to obstruct a lawful and necessary democratic procedure.
Rather than engaging constructively to strengthen the electoral process, the opposition appears more focused on inciting chaos for political gain. With Bihar heading into a crucial election, the priority should be safeguarding a fair, transparent, and inclusive voter roll, not turning voter verification into a battleground for partisan theatrics.
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