Should fake votes be allowed fearing INDIA bloc's protests?: EC justifies Bihar SIR amid stiff opposition

The Election Commission of India has justified its intensive electoral roll revision being carried out in Bihar and questioned whether it should get carried away by protests and pave way for fake votes in elections. 

 

 

In a statement, the Commission said a transparently prepared electoral roll was the foundation of fair elections in a democracy. "...so, fearing these things, should the Election Commission, getting misled by some people, pave the way for some to cast fake votes in the name of deceased voters, voters who have migrated permanently, voters who have got their votes registered at two places, fake voters or foreign voters, going against the Constitution, first in Bihar, then in the entire country?" ANI reported.

 

The Election Commission said the electoral roll was being prepared through a transparent process and questioned the protests. The poll body said all parties should think deeply, going beyond their political ideologies.

 

Opposition parties have strongly opposed the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral roll in Bihar. Opposition has questioned the timing of the exercise in poll-bound Bihar and charged that the exercise would disenfranchise lakhs of voters.

 

The poll body's comments come amid opposition's ruckus in Parliament demanding suspension of business to discuss the exercise. In a release on Wednesday, the Election Commission said 98.01 per cent of electors have been covered in the first phase of electoral roll revision. Till July 23, 20 lakh deceased electors and 28 lakh permanently migrated electors have been reported; 7 lakh electors have been found enrolled at more than one place, and  1 lakh electors are untraceable, it said. The poll body added 7.17 crore electors’ forms have been received and digitised. The first phase of SIR will conclude on August 1.

India