Special Intensive Revision of Bihar electoral rolls akin to NRC: CPI(M) to Election Commission

There are fears that it may be used to target a certain section of voters leading to their disenfranchisement, says Polit Bureau member Nilotpal Basu

Raising concerns about the Election Commission’s “Special Intensive Revision” of the electoral rolls in Bihar, the Communist Party of India (Marxist), in a letter to the panel, has said that the exercise is akin to implementing a National Register of Citizens for the State and urged that it be abandoned.

Nilotpal Basu, Polit Bureau member of the CPI(M), in a letter to the Chief Election Commissioner, said that the proposed exercise is putting a major part of the responsibility for inclusion or deletion from the electoral rolls on the voters themselves.

The insistence on providing proof of residence for all existing voters, Mr. Basu said, will lead to harassment of voters, who may not have the requisite documents. Mr. Basu said the insistence on producing proof of date and place of birth of the voter and the documents of parents will only “complicate matters further”. Considering the high migration rate in Bihar, Mr. Basu said that many genuine voters, who are currently unavailable and are not in a position to return before the completion of this exercise, could find their names deleted.

“This entire exercise is similar to the proposed NRC. There are fears that it may be used to target a certain section of voters leading to their disenfranchisement,” he added.

Mr. Basu said that the timing of the exercise is also a cause for concern, being so close to the Bihar Assembly election that has to be held by November. He also flagged the lack of consultation by the Election Commission before undertaking such an exercise. “Holding such an extensive exercise just a few months before the State goes to polls will vitiate the atmosphere and is fraught with danger. The time frame for the completion of the entire exercise is just a month,” Mr. Basu said.