‘Relief for democracy, should also happen in Bengal': Parties on SC hearing over Bihar voter roll revision

Suvendhu Adhikari backed the SIR and said that what is happening in Bihar should also happen in West Bengal as there are a lot of ‘fake voters’ in the state.

The Supreme Court on Thursday allowed the Election Commission of India to continue with its special intensive revision of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar. However, it urged the poll panel to consider including Aadhaar cards, voter ID cards, and ration cards as valid documents for voter enumeration under the ongoing exercise.

The Supreme Court has allowed the ECI to continue its exercise of SIR of the voter rolls in Bihar, (CEOBihar)

The top court's observations received mixed reactions as opposition leaders highlighted that the SC has shown the way of 'inclusion' amid people's fear of exclusion. NDA leaders have also pressed on, taking into consideration the observations made by the apex court.

‘Relief for democracy, path of inclusion’

Suvendhu Adhikari, Leader of the Opposition in West Bengal Assembly, said that the exercise being conducted in Bihar should also happen in West Bengal.

He alleged that there are a "lot of fake voters in Bengal", adding that infiltrators are also listed as voters in the state. "This has to be cleansed," he said.

Trinamool Congress leader Jay Prakash Majumdar spoke to news agency PTI and asked what can be said about the Supreme Court's observations. But, he said, "We expect that under this ploy common people of Bihar will not lose their right to vote". He suggested that the top court should also look into the same.

Bengal BJP leader Rahul Sinha said that the observations made by the Supreme Court deserve "serious consideration". While he commended the Election Commission's work, Sinha also noted that the electoral process cannot function effectively if the voter roll, which is the core of electoral reform, is itself not accurate.

"Keeping the Court's observation in mind, the ECI should continue its work with the same (level of) accuracy and efficiency," Sinha told PTI.

Congress MP KC Venugopal welcomed the apex court's observations on SIR and termed it a "relief for democracy".

"The Supreme Court has given its views through this that Aadhaar, voter ID and ration card to be part of the verification process. I think the Election Commission will go with this suggestion of the Supreme Court. Let's wait for it," he told reporters.

Meanwhile, activist Yogendra Yadav said that with its observations on the election commission's SIR in Bihar, the Supreme Court has in a way "put the brakes on the disenfranchisement exercise that was underway".

He said that the petitioners did not ask for a stay order, and neither did the top court issue one, as it was not necessary at all. "The judges repeatedly questioned the Election Commission on why it does not accept the Aadhaar cards," he added.

TMC leader Kunal Ghosh said the party protested against the SIR as his leadership's analysis suggested that some unwanted decisions had been taken, and that the "National Election Commission has been influenced by the BJP".

Ghosh said the TMC believes that the voter card and ration card must also be considered by the poll panel."The recent court observations and monitoring of the situation have given us a positive signal. The BJP may have tried to orchestrate certain plots, but the TMC will continue with its protest. The BJP will not succeed in its dirty plots," he told news agency PTI.

RJD MP Manoj Jha said that the top court has shown the "path of inclusion" amid people's growing fear of 'exclusion'. He told PTI, "In prima facie view, the Supreme Court believes that the Election Commission must include Aadhaar card, EPIC and ration card in the list of solicited documents... There was a fear among people that they would be excluded, the Supreme Court has shown the path of inclusion."

Taking note of the Supreme Court's move to not stay the EC's decision to conduct SIR in Bihar, BJP MP Rajiv Pratap Rudy rubbished the Opposition's "absolutely false" claims that the EC was using it as a "way to separate some of the voters who are from a different case or a religion".

"As per the Constitution, the poll body has right to conduct electoral roll revision in Bihar where elections are due in three months. However, the opposition have moved to the Supreme Court, claiming that it is a way to separate some of the voters who are from a different caste or a religion -- a claim which is absolutely false. The Supreme Court has not stayed the poll body's decision," Rudy told PTI.

Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena's Sanjay Nirupam said he believed that the Supreme Court's direction on the SIR of the electoral roll in Bihar should be welcomed. "No one is objecting to genuine voters; only those who are not from Bihar are at risk of being removed. I think the Supreme Court's direction on this should be welcomed," he said.

AAP leader Anurag Dhanda said that the top court's questions at the Election Commission's SIR in Bihar echoed what the Opposition and the people have been asking.

He alleged that the BJP has a "pattern of manipulating" the voter list before every election, adding that the "Election Commission of India (ECI) seems to support them".

"This has been seen repeatedly, during the Haryana elections, the Maharashtra elections, the Delhi polls, and now again before the Bihar elections. Today, the Supreme Court raised questions that echo what the Opposition and the people have long been asking," he added.

Notably, the Supreme Court agreed to examine a batch of pleas challenging the timing and manner of the SIR at the next hearing on July 28. It has also granted the ECI time until July 21 to file its response. It has not passed any interim order on the matter yet.