Number of deleted votes in some constituencies of Bihar exceeds victory margins of last Assembly elections, alleges Congress

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In a post on X, Congress General Secretary (Communications) Jairam Ramesh fired a fresh salvo at the Election Commission of India, saying it should act impartially and not as the “B-team” of the BJP. File | Photo Credit: PTI

Expressing concern over the final voters’ list in Bihar after the completion of the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, the Congress on Saturday alleged several irregularities in the exercise and claimed the number of voter deletions in some constituencies exceeded the victory margin of the last Assembly election.

In a post on X, Congress general secretary (Communications) Jairam Ramesh alleged that the Election Commission of India (ECI) was a “puppet” in the hands of the ruling party and had carried out the SIR with the purpose of providing political advantage to the BJP and its allies.

Mr. Ramesh, sharing the screenshot of a news report that claimed irregularities, said the EC should act impartially and not as the “B-team” of the BJP.

The news report claimed that there were 247 people in a single house in Jamui in Bihar, and that there were several irregularities in the final electoral roll list after the SIR exercise.

“The Election Commission has orchestrated the entire SIR drama at the behest of the BJP. Even the claims of reforms by the Election Commission in the final SIR are proving to be wrong. Reports are coming in from all regions of Bihar that confirm the sole purpose of the entire process is to provide political advantage to the BJP and its allied parties,” Mr. Ramesh said.

Even after the SIR process, numerous instances of irregularities in the final list indicate that the ECI has no regard for the clear orders of the Supreme Court, he alleged.

“Functioning as the B-team of the BJP, the ECI has descended into complete shamelessness. Will Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar explain how 247 voters were found in a single household and why one person’s name appears 3-3 times on the same booth? How are such massive irregularities surfacing in the final voter list? Or will they, as before, remain silent? The concerning aspect is that in some assembly constituencies, the number of voters’ names being deleted exceeds the victory margin from the previous elections,” the Congress leader said.

The current “lax functioning and politically biased policies” of the ECI were adversely affecting India’s democracy and our international image, he added.

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