Congress, CPI Allege Conspiracy in Bihar Voter List Revision, Question Poll Panel’s Neutrality
Congress allege a conspiracy to disenfranchise voters, particularly minorities and marginalized groups, ahead of upcoming elections.
The Election Commission has come under sharp criticism, with Congress and other opposition parties accusing it of acting at the behest of the BJP-led central government, particularly over the ongoing voter list revision in Bihar.
Congress national spokesperson Pawan Khera has raised serious questions over the poll panel’s impartiality, alleging it is working on the directions of the Centre and the BJP. He called the voter list revision exercise a “well-planned conspiracy” aimed at depriving lakhs of people of their voting rights.
“There’s no such thing as neutrality anymore,” Khera said. “Instead of answering our questions, the Election Commission is busy executing these tasks. This is a grave matter that we are consistently raising. Other opposition parties, including Mamata Banerjee, have voiced similar concerns. Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav, too, has criticised the Election Commission, calling it an agent of the BJP.”
Echoing similar allegations, CPI’s state secretary Ramnaresh Pandey accused the Election Commission of conspiring to remove the names of tribal, Dalit, and minority voters from the rolls under the guise of the special voter list revision in Bihar. “The Election Commission is trying to turn Bihar into a laboratory for the BJP,” Pandey charged in a statement.
Assembly elections are due in Bihar later this year, likely in October or November. Against this backdrop, the Election Commission has announced a special intensive revision of electoral rolls across six states, starting with Bihar, to ensure the accuracy and integrity of voter lists.
According to the Commission, the primary aim of the exercise is to weed out illegal foreign nationals, who may have enrolled in voter lists using forged documents. The move comes amid ongoing crackdowns in several states on illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and Myanmar. Notably, Bihar last underwent such a special intensive revision in 2003.
As political temperatures rise, the debate continues over whether the exercise is a genuine push for electoral purity—or a cover for disenfranchisement of vulnerable communities.
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