Opposition cries foul over EC's Bihar voter list move, INDIA bloc to challenge it
Patna, 27 June (UNI) Leader of Opposition in Bihar Assembly Tejashwi Yadav on Thursday said that the Election Commission of India's announcement of a massive voter list revision in Bihar just before the assembly elections is deeply troubling. It is a mockery of democracy and the Constitution of India, he charged.
Addressing a press conference in Patna on Friday, along with other leaders of INDIA Alliance, he announced that they will challenge the decision. They will approach the Election Commission of India soon, he assured.
He said 'An attempt to revise the registration list of 8 crore voters in only 25 days raises serious concerns about the integrity of the electoral process. This move fuels suspicions of a deliberate attempt to disenfranchise vulnerable populations, including the poor, marginalised communities, Dalits, Adivasis, and minorities.'
Tejashwi added 'Why the voter list revision was not undertaken before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections? If the voter list used in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections was valid, no one should question its validity now. If the government is honest in this matter, then it should declare the 2024 Lok Sabha elections null and void.'
He said that what's happening in Bihar is a direct attack on democracy, stripping citizens of their basic rights. It's a massive scheme to cut off the poor, the oppressed, and the vulnerable from vital resources such as food, pensions, and student aid.
The RJD leader added 'There's a concerted effort by the BJP and RSS to take away constitutional rights, with the RSS specifically advocating for the removal of secularism and socialism from the Indian Constitution.'
Bihar Congress President Rajesh Ram accused the central government of attempting to manipulate the Bihar elections, similar to what he claims happened in Maharashtra. He warned that the attempt to reduce the official voter count will be met with strong resistance.
Congress's national spokesperson Pawan Khera alleged that the central government has been manipulating the Election Commission to benefit the BJP.
Citing media surveys that predict an NDA loss and a potential victory for the INDIA alliance in the upcoming assembly elections in Bihar, Khera claimed that the government is trying to disenfranchise the youth due to their discontent over unemployment, exam leaks, and job scarcity.
CPI (ML) General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya alleged that this is a conspiracy to rig the election, akin to the demonetisation policy. He argued that voter registration is the Election Commission's duty. He asserted that asking voters to prove their eligibility with documentation is unnecessary given the government's failure to provide birth certificates to every citizen.
VIP spokesperson Dev Jyoti termed it a conspiracy to implement NRC. He also alleged that demanding documentation from the poor, backward, and most backward communities is a thinly veiled attempt to disenfranchise them.
UNI XC RKM
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
33 minutes ago
- Time of India
EC Trying To Push NRC 'Through Backdoor'- TMC Blasts Poll Body, Alleges 'Nazi' Action
/ Jun 28, 2025, 02:06PM IST Trinamool Congress MP Derek O'Brien has accused the Election Commission of launching a 'sinister' backdoor National Register of Citizens (NRC) under the guise of a special voter roll revision in Bihar. Comparing the required documentation to Nazi-era 'ancestor passes', O'Brien questioned the timing of the exercise just months before elections in Bihar—and warned that it may be extended to West Bengal. Citizens born after 2004, he claimed, would have to produce birth documents for themselves and both parents, or risk being struck off the voter list. Calling the move desperate and politically motivated, he alleged the EC is acting on BJP's behalf to influence results in states where they're losing ground. The INDIA bloc, he said, will raise this inside and outside Parliament. Is this a legitimate cleanup of electoral rolls—or a stealth NRC?#electioncommission #biharpolls #tmc #voterlist #tmcvsec #derekobrien #biharelections #nrcdebate #ecrevision #voterrollcontroversy #toi #toibharat #bharat #breakingnews #indianews
News18
34 minutes ago
- News18
MP Congress Chief Jitendra Patwari Booked For 'Bribing' Man To Claim He Was Fed Faeces
Last Updated: According to Madhya Pradesh Police, the claim of being fed human excreta turned out to be fake as they were made on "Jitu Patwari's demand." Madhya Pradesh Congress chief Jitendra Patwari is facing legal trouble after being accused of bribing a villager to falsely claim he was forced to eat human excreta. State police have filed a case based on an affidavit in which the villager alleged that some Congress leaders took him to Patwari, who then, offering a bribe, persuaded him to make the claim against the sarpanch of Mungaoli village. Earlier on June 25, Patwari posted a video on social media platform X showing him sitting with two brothers who alleged one of them was fed human excreta. Along with the video, the Congress leader posted a caption, blaming the BJP-led state government. प्रधानमंत्री जी, @BJP4MP सत्ता का जंगलराज अराजकता की हद पार करता जा रहा है! लोधी समाज के युवक के मुंह में 'मानव-मल" ठूंस दिया गया, क्योंकि उसने 'राशन की पर्ची" मांग ली थी!आरोप है कि चूंकि, आरोपी @BJP4India विधायक बृजेंद्र यादव के समर्थक हैं! इसीलिए @DGP_MP व @CMMadhyaPradesh … — Jitendra (Jitu) Patwari (@jitupatwari) June 25, 2025 In the over 8-minute clip, he claimed a youth from the Lodhi community was targeted simply for asking for a ration slip. 'Prime Minister Ji, @BJP4MP The jungle rule of power is crossing the limits of anarchy! A youth from the Lodhi community had 'human excrement" stuffed in his mouth just because he asked for a 'ration slip"! ," Patwari tweeted in Hindi. In response to the FIR, Patwari 'welcomed" the move, remaining firm at the villager's claim and his criticism of the ruling government's handling of the incident. The Congress leader alleged that the accused are supporters of BJP MLA Brijendra Yadav which is why the DGP and the Chief Minister Mohan Yadav are not taking any action in the matter. 'It is alleged that since the accused are supporters of @BJP4India MLA Brijendra Yadav, that's why @DGP_MP and @CMMadhyaPradesh are not allowing any action to be taken?," Patwari further wrote on X. Recalling the incident in which a tribal youth was urinated upon in the state, he questioned, 'Why does #BJP consider Dalits, backward classes, and tribals as its enemies in Madhya Pradesh?." 'In this same Madhya Pradesh, a shameful incident of urinating on the head of a tribal youth has already taken place! Why does #BJP consider Dalits, backward classes, and tribals as its enemies in Madhya Pradesh?," he added. Slamming the BJP-led government, Patwari alleged that the law and order situation in the state has 'completely collapsed" and the people 'want freedom from this jungle rule! " 'The law and order in Madhya Pradesh have completely collapsed, yet @DrMohanYadav51 remains the Home Minister with arrogance! Meanwhile, the people of Madhya Pradesh now want freedom from this jungle rule! ," he wrote while concluding his post. According to Madhya Pradesh Police, the claim of being fed human excreta turned out to be fake as they were made on 'Jitu Patwari's demand." 'Later, he (the villager) said that the allegations about this were false, and he made this allegation on Jitu Patwari's demand… Based on this, a case has been filed against Jitu Patwari and his aides under various sections of BNS," news agency ANI quoted SP Vineet Kumar Jain as saying. News agency PTI reported that Mungavali police station in-charge Joginder Singh alleged that Patwari tried to mislead by sharing a video on social media to spread animosity in the society, instigate fighting among caste communities and disrupt peace. Singh said the complainant stated that he had been beaten up but denied that he was fed faeces. The complainant, in the FIR, has claimed Patwari promised him a motorcycle and said he would take care of his family, PTI reported. Reacting to the case filed against him, Jitendra Patwari said he would continue to raise his voice for the oppressed. 'The opposition should fulfil its responsibility when there are atrocities on the farmers, Dalits and the government should take it positively and take action. The government, on the contrary, commits a sin which is not its duty," news agency ANI quoted Patwari as saying. The Congress leader further said the FIR against him has once again exposed the 'dictatorship" of the ruling forces and their efforts to suppress the voice of the victims, PTI reported. 'This matter is not limited to just one FIR but is part of a deep conspiracy of pressure and manipulation by the ruling party, which is being hatched to defame the opposition leaders and bury the truth," PTI quoted him as saying. Patwari further pointed out that two days after the matter made headlines, the youth retracted his statement and claimed in an affidavit to the collector that he had made false allegations at his behest. Patwari alleged that the pressure of CM Mohan Yadav's government is visible behind the youth's affidavit and FIR. 'The way this whole matter turned around overnight shows the misuse of power and influence by the ruling party," he added. About the Author First Published:
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
Preamble not changeable yet changed during Emergency: V-P Jagdeep Dhankhar amid RSS call row
The Preamble of a Constitution is not changeable, but it was changed in 1976, said Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Saturday. His remark came amid an ongoing controversy over the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) seeking removal of the terms 'socialist' and 'secular' from the Preamble. "We must reflect", said Jagdeep Dhankhar as he reminded people that the Preamble of the Constitution was changed in 1976. (PTI) While Dhankhar agreed that the Preamble is the "seed" on which the Constitution grows, he also reminded people that it was changed during Emergency in 1976, and the the words "socialist", "secular", and "integrity" were added to it. "We must reflect," Dhankhar said, underscoring that when B R Ambedkar formulated the Constitution, he must have "surely focused on it". He also said that India is the only country that has seen the Preamble of its Constitution undergo a change. What is the Preamble row? RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale has objected to the use of words 'socialist' and 'secular' in the Preamble of the Constitution, and has sought their removal. The demand has sparked a controversy, with the BJP defending it and the Opposition calling it an insult to the Constitution and its framers. Hosabale argues that these terms were forcibly added to the Constitution and need to be reconsidered in the present times. 'Those who did such things are today moving around with the Constitution's copy. They have still not apologised... Apologise,' he said, in a veiled dig at Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi. This is not the first such call seeking removal of these terms. In November last year, the Supreme Court dismissed a series of petitions challenging the 1976 amendment. The 42nd Constitutional Amendment used to bring about these modifications in the Constitution was introduced by the erstwhile Indira Gandhi-led government during Emergency, from June 25, 1975, to March 21, 1977. 'Mask of RSS has come off' Congress says the RSS is calling for modifications to the Preamble as it is upset that the document is not "inspired by Manusmriti". Rahul Gandhi also joined in the criticism for this call. "The mask of RSS has come off again," he said. "RSS-BJP doesn't want the Constitution. They want Manusmriti. They aim to strip the marginalised and the poor of their rights and enslave them again. Snatching a powerful weapon like the Constitution from them is their real agenda," the Congress leader posted on X. Meanwhile, several BJP leaders have echoed the call raised by the RSS general secretary, saying secularism has been imported from the West and and does not represent Indian culture. "The basic sentiment of India is equality of all religions... Secularism is not the core of our culture," former Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Chouhan told news agency ANI. Many other BJP leaders believe that any citizen would amplify RSS's demand as the modifications made during Emergency were not part of the original Constitution written by Dr B R Ambedkar. (With PTI, ANI inputs)
