Opposition says poll panel aiding ruling coalition, NDA hits back
Patna, July 27 -- The political tussle over the controversial Bihar electoral drive escalated on Saturday with the Opposition calling it a ploy to help the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) win the upcoming state polls and the ruling coalition hailing it as a democratic exercise aimed at weeding out ineligible voters.
The first phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) concluded on Saturday, and an Election Commission bulletin from Friday indicated that nearly 6.5 million names might be excluded from the draft electoral roll due to death, duplication, permanent migration, or non-submission of forms.
The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) questioned the legitimacy of the drive, saying that it was aimed at reducing the votes of people from the marginalised and minority communities in order to give an electoral edge to the BJP.
"The updated voters' list is being prepared at the behest of the BJP-led NDA. The SIR is a sham," party spokesperson Chittaranjan Gagan said.
The Congress questioned the timing of the drive and said that it was carried out "hurriedly" without following due diligence. "There is a hidden agenda behind the SIR. The way it was conducted in a hurried manner only shows there is more to what meets the eye," Congress legislature party leader Shakeel Ahmad Khan said.
NDA members rejected the Opposition's charge, saying that SIR will weed out ineligible voters and legitimise the electoral roll. HTC...
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