
Bihar Monsoon Session: Oppn Protests In Black, Deputy CM Hits Back On Voter List Row
During the protest, slogans were raised like, 'Stop trying to usurp elections and SIR is an excuse; the purpose is to ban voting.'
MLCs of the Grand Alliance arrived at the Council wearing black clothes, holding posters and placards while raising slogans in the portico before the session began.
Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary countered the opposition's allegations, stating, 'The Election Commission has made it clear that no citizen—poor, backward, Dalit, or general—is being removed unfairly from the voter list. So far, 98 per cent participation has been recorded in the re-verification process of 19 lakh deceased voters, 20 lakh migrated citizens and 8 lakh duplicate voters have been identified.'
He further said, 'The SIR process will conclude on July 26, after which the draft voter list will be published, allowing all parties to file objections transparently.'
Samrat Chaudhary targeted the opposition's black-clothes protest, remarking, 'Shani has overshadowed them; that's why they are roaming around in black.'
He accused the opposition of misleading the people and referenced past political statements on illegal voters to justify the verification drive, citing that 'over 120 per cent Aadhaar registration in districts like Kishanganj makes investigation necessary.'
When questioned about speculations of CM Nitish Kumar being considered for Vice President, Samrat Chaudhary remarked, 'It is up to the BJP and NDA leadership, and they will decide.'
The monsoon session is politically crucial, with the government aiming to pass key bills before the upcoming elections.
The opposition is aggressively targeting the government on law and order, voter list revision, and unemployment during this five-day session.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
Defending need for SIR in the Supreme Court, Election Commission cites parties' complaints about voter list errors
Defending its decision to conduct a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Bihar's electoral rolls in the Supreme Court, the Election Commission of India pointed to the numerous complaints made by political parties about the inaccuracy of voter lists. '[I]n response, and to restore public confidence in the integrity of the electoral roll, the Commission has initiated the SIR,' it told the court in a counter-affidavit filed on July 21. The Commission even submitted copies of these complaints in an annexure to the affidavit, running into 625 pages. The annexure includes complaints made by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) before the Delhi Assembly polls, and by the Congress and its allies about alleged additions made to voter lists during the Maharashtra Assembly polls last year, as well as by the BJP, AIADMK, and Shiv Sena. '...several recognised political parties across the spectrum have raised serious concerns with the Commission regarding inaccuracies in the electoral rolls — citing the inclusion of ineligible and deceased individuals and exclusion of eligible voters. These concerns arise from the limitations of the summary revision process which does not require fresh preparation of electoral rolls,' the ECI affidavit said. On July 28, the Supreme Court will hear petitions filed by Opposition parties and activists challenging the SIR. Opposition attacks The first phase of the SIR ended on July 25, with the possibility of around 66 lakh names being struck off Bihar's draft electoral roll. Some of these names belong to deceased voters, or those who have migrated out of the State, while other voters were registered to vote in two locations or failed to complete their enumeration forms. Opposition parties, led by the Congress, have been consistently attacking the Election Commission alleging that electoral rolls were manipulated during the Maharashtra and Haryana Assembly polls. Earlier this week, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi opened a new front by claiming voter list manipulation in Karnataka as well during last year's Lok Sabha election. The poll body said that political parties across the spectrum have also voiced concerns regarding the accuracy of the electoral rolls revised through the summary revision process, regarding the wrongful inclusion of the names of deceased, migrated and non-citizen voters. In order to restore public confidence and address these concerns, it has decided to undertake the SIR, the ECI said. Unlike summary revisions, the SIR involves a complete, ground-up preparation of the electoral rolls to ensure accuracy, transparency, and inclusion. 'Foundational exercise needed' A senior ECI official told The Hindu that the Commission had also appraised the matter independent of these complaints and had come to a conclusion that an intensive revision was needed. The counter-affidavit submitted in court also reflects this stance. 'The Commission was of the considered view that the absence of any intensive revision for nearly two decades necessitated a more rigorous and foundational exercise,' it said. The poll body also informed the Supreme Court that about 1.5 lakh Booth Level Agents have been appointed by political parties to help Booth Level Officers reach out to the voters.


The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
West Bengal CEO stays mum on SIR, holds training session for booth-level officers
The Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of West Bengal convened a divisional-level training session and meeting with election officials at Kolkata's Nazrul Manch on Saturday (July 26, 2025), amid speculation that a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls may be conducted in the State, similar to the process underway in Bihar. The training, organised for Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs), Supervisors and Booth Level Officers (BLOs) from various Assembly constituencies, comes ahead of the West Bengal Assembly elections scheduled for 2026. However, addressing queries from journalists on whether an SIR would be undertaken for West Bengal's electoral rolls, Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Agarwal said that any such decision lies with the Election Commission of India (ECI). 'If SIR happens, the ECI will notify. Whether SIR will happen, when it will happen, when it will be declared — these are not in my jurisdiction,' Mr. Agarwal said. Notably, the CEO West Bengal website currently displays the 2002 electoral roll of certain districts of West Bengal from the last SIR in the State, a detail that gains relevance in the context of Bihar, where the 2003 roll has been set as a reference point for submission of identification documents in the ongoing SIR. Clarifying further, Mr. Agarwal added that each BLO is expected to conduct one SIR in their service tenure, but the training conducted on Saturday should not be construed as an indication of an impending SIR in the State. 'Every BLO has to conduct one SIR in their lifetime. SIRs have been conducted many times in the past. It was carried out between 1952 and 2004. The training session held today does not indicate SIR. If SIR is carried out in the State, the ECI, which is a constitutional body, will notify the list of identification documents that will suffice,' the CEO said. He also noted that in Bihar, BLOs have been instructed to go door to door to distribute, assist with, collect, digitise, and submit enumeration forms via the BLO app. 'However, I do not know whether the same will be for West Bengal,' Mr. Agarwal said.
&w=3840&q=100)

Business Standard
2 hours ago
- Business Standard
EC's refusal to accept Aadhaar as voter ID in Bihar is 'absurd': ADR
The Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) has told the Supreme Court that the Election Commission's (EC) claim of having constitutional powers to verify voters' citizenship during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Bihar's electoral rolls contradicts earlier court rulings. According to a report by The Indian Express, ADR also criticised the EC for excluding Aadhaar and ration cards as acceptable proof of identity, calling the move 'patently absurd,' especially as Aadhaar is widely used for passports, caste certificates, and permanent residency documents. 'Grave fraud' in rush to revise rolls The ADR, the petitioner in the matter, argued that the EC has not provided valid reasons for hurrying through the revision ahead of Bihar's Assembly polls. The group described the process as a 'grave fraud' on the state's electorate. The revision exercise, announced on June 24, has been controversial due to its timing and new requirement that voters registered after 2003 must provide several documents to stay on the electoral rolls. This has raised fears that many legitimate voters could be disenfranchised. ADR has submitted its response to the EC's affidavit, filed on July 21. In that affidavit, the EC claimed that Article 326 of the Constitution permits it to verify the citizenship of voters and clarified that being removed from the electoral roll does not mean loss of citizenship. The matter will be heard next on 28 July. Citizenship verification against court judgments? ADR argued that the EC's claim of authority to verify citizenship goes against earlier Supreme Court decisions. It cited Lal Babu Hussain vs Union of India (1995), which stated that the burden of proving citizenship lies with new applicants, not existing voters. It also referenced Inderjit Barua vs ECI (1985), where the court held that being on the electoral roll is strong proof of citizenship, and the onus to disprove it lies with those who object. ADR criticised the EC's directive requiring voters added after 2003 to produce one of 11 specified documents, saying this wrongly shifts the burden of proof to voters. 'It is submitted that the SIR process shifts the onus of citizenship proof on all existing electors in a state, whose names were registered by the ECI through a due process,' ADR said. The group questioned why the existing legal procedures under the Representation of the People Act and the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960 had to be replaced with a fresh set of documentation and a new form. ADR also said the EC had not provided any data showing foreign nationals or illegal migrants had been included in the electoral rolls. EC's Aadhaar rejection 'absurd' In its July 21 affidavit, the EC refused to accept the Supreme Court's suggestion to include Aadhaar, ration cards, and Voter ID as valid documents, arguing that Aadhaar and ration cards can be obtained using false papers. ADR countered that the EC's list of 11 acceptable documents is also open to fraud. It added, 'The fact that Aadhaar card is one of the documents accepted for obtaining Permanent Residence Certificate, OBC/SC/ST Certificate and for passport – makes ECI's rejection of Aadhar (which is most widely held document) under the instant SIR order patently absurd.' 'Violations' by officials ADR alleged that EC officials on the ground are not following the Commission's own rules. The June 24 guidelines required Block Level Officers (BLOs) to visit each home and provide two forms per voter. But ADR said many voters had not met any BLOs and had not signed any forms, yet their submissions were recorded online. 'Forms of even dead individuals have been reported to have been submitted,' it added. ADR also criticised the lack of a clear process for verifying these forms and documents, saying this gave Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) excessive powers that could lead to widespread disenfranchisement. Why target post-2003 voters? The EC's order says that the 2003 electoral roll is proof of citizenship for voters already registered. For those born after July 1, 1987, the EC asks for proof of citizenship from at least one parent. If the parent appears on the 2003 roll, the child may rely on that. ADR said this distinction was unfair and placed those registered after 2003 at 'a larger risk of disenfranchisement.' It also questioned why the EC had not submitted the 2003 revision order to the Court and asked for it to be produced. In contrast, during the 2004 revision exercise in the North East, only new voters had to submit documents, and that process took over six months (July 1, 2004 to January 3, 2005). In Bihar, the entire process is being compressed into three months -- from June 25 to September 30. 2025 roll already revised ADR also asked why a fresh revision is needed when the 2025 electoral roll was already updated and published in January this year. The group said the roll is regularly updated to account for deaths, migration, and other changes. ADR also highlighted an August 11, 2023 EC circular to state CEOs, directing them to delete names of electors who had died, moved, or were duplicates. The EC claimed the current SIR was being held in response to concerns raised by political parties. But ADR said, 'not a single political party had asked ECI for a de novo exercise such as the one prescribed in the instant SIR order'. Instead, parties had raised concerns about fake votes being added, genuine opposition voters being deleted, and irregular voting after polls had closed. Supreme Court's interim observations The case was first heard on July 10 by a vacation bench of Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and Joymalya Bagchi. While the Court did not halt the process, it suggested the EC consider allowing Aadhaar, Voter ID, and ration cards as valid documents, in addition to the 11 listed. The EC was told to submit its affidavit by July 21, and the matter will be heard again on July 28. As of Friday, the EC said it had received forms from 72.3 million voters for inclusion in the draft roll. Around 6.5 million names are to be deleted due to death, permanent migration, duplicate entries, or because the voter was untraceable. Further deletions may occur after the draft roll is published. Between August 1 and September 1, those whose names are missing from the draft will be able to file claims and objections.