Guwahati: State BJP Supports Special Intensive Revision of Electoral Rolls

Staff reporter

Guwahati: The State BJP has expressed its full support for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Electoral Rolls being conducted across the country, including Bihar. The party also extends its gratitude to the Election Commission of India for initiating this crucial process.

A statement issued by the party said, “It is noteworthy that during voter data collection in Bihar, the Election Commission found a large number of foreign nationals from three neighbouring countries — Bangladesh, Nepal, and Myanmar — listed in the state’s electoral rolls. Most of these individuals are illegal migrants working as labourers, and over the years, they have allegedly managed to include their names in the voters’ list under political patronage. As per Section 21 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, the Election Commission of India is empowered to revise electoral rolls and conduct special revisions when required. Additionally, Article 324 of the Constitution of India authorizes the Commission to supervise, control, and conduct elections.”

The State BJP’s statement further notes that similar SIR have previously taken place in various parts of the country in the years 1952, 1956, 1957, 1961, 1965, 1966, 1983, 1987, 1989, 1992, 1993, 1995, 2002, 2003, and 2004. Bihar itself had a similar revision in 2003. Through the SIR process, illegal entries are deleted, new eligible voters are added, and it helps strengthen the democratic fabric of the nation at the constituency level.

The BJP criticizes the Congress party for opposing this democratic and constitutionally mandated exercise. The statement points out the Congress’s double standards — in 2022, its leader Randeep Surjewala filed a case in the Supreme Court arguing that linking Aadhaar with Voter ID was unnecessary, yet now the Congress demands that Aadhaar be accepted as a valid document for voter enrollment.

“The Congress party, having relied on illegal Bangladeshi Muslim votes in past elections, is now apprehensive about losing its vote bank as these ineligible voters are being identified and removed through this revision. In contrast, during its rule, Congress went so far as to label lakhs of Gorkhas and indigenous communities as “D voters” and suspended their voting rights by marking them as doubtful voters,” the party said.

The state BJP further said that under the leadership of Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma, the BJP government has removed the D-voter tag and restored voting rights to these genuine Indian citizens. Hence, there is even greater urgency in Assam for such a SIR — not just like in Bihar — to identify those illegally included by Congress in the voters’ list in the name of vote bank politics.

Also Read: Assam:ASEC Published Electoral Rolls of Silchar Municipal Corporation

Also Watch: