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India Today
a day ago
- Politics
- India Today
Exclusion from Bihar voter roll won't affect citizenship: Poll body to top court
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has assured the Supreme Court that the citizenship of an individual would not be terminated if one is found ineligible for registration in the electoral rolls under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in a strong defence of the exercise in poll-bound Bihar in an 88-page affidavit, the poll watchdog said it had the authority to request proof of citizenship for "enabling the constitutional right to vote". "No parliamentary law can oust this jurisdiction of the ECI," it ECI's response was to charges by the opposition that SIR was just a "citizenship screening" exercise and would lead to mass disenfranchisement. POLL BODY ON AADHAAR Earlier this month, the Supreme Court refused to pause the electoral roll revision exercise in Bihar, but questioned its timing, coming months ahead of the Assembly top court also asked the ECI to consider Aadhaar, voter ID card, and ration card as valid documents during the verification drive. These are not included in the current 11-document its decision not to include Aadhaar, the election body said Aadhaar is merely proof of identity, and it cannot be accepted as a standalone document for SIR."Aadhaar does not help in screening the eligibility under Article 326. However, this is not to say that Aadhaar cannot be used to supplement other documents to prove eligibility. It is for this reason that the list is indicative and not exhaustive," the ECI affidavit ECI has claimed that a large portion of the population already possesses one or more of the 11 enlisted RECEIVED FROM 90% OF ELECTORSThe poll body said, as of July 18, enumeration forms from 90.12% of the 7.9 crore-strong electorate in Bihar have been collected. If deceased individuals and permanently shifted electors are considered, the SIR has effectively covered 94.68% of the electors who are untraceable despite multiple visits by the BLOs constitute a mere 0.01% of the electorate. The last date for collection of forms is July 25.- EndsTune InMust Watch
Time of India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Tejashwi Yadav meets Bihar Assembly Speaker, seeks discussion on SIR in House
Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on Monday called on Bihar Assembly Speaker Nand Kishore Yadav and requested that the House take up for discussion the controversial special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the leader of the opposition in the assembly spoke to journalists after meeting the Speaker inside the latter's chamber, on the inaugural day of the monsoon session."We requested that the matter be taken up for discussion in the House tomorrow. The assembly is the largest temple of democracy in Bihar... democracy is under attack in the state. An attempt is being made to rob the deprived sections of their right to vote. We will fight it out from the House to the streets (sadan se sadak tak)," Yadav senior BJP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, who spoke to journalists separately, said, "The fears are unfounded. Not a single genuine voter's name will be dropped. All will exercise their franchise in the upcoming assembly polls."Adopting a belligerent stance, Yadav, a former deputy chief minister himself, said that the Speaker will have to agree to a discussion on the issue."Any reluctance on his part or unwillingness from the ruling side will have strong consequences," he also spoke of a letter he has written to alliance partners outside the state, like Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Samajwadi Party supremo Akhilesh Yadav, seeking their support on the issue of SIR."I have written a letter and I hope that the matter will be raised on the national level, too, with Parliament also in session," the INDIA bloc partner to a query, the RJD leader said, "Yes, there are other issues, like the recent spurt in violent crimes, on which we will seek to corner the government."The monsoon session, which is the last of the current assembly before elections, due in about a couple of months from now, will continue till July 25.
