Those wrongly deleted from Bihar rolls still living at addresses, says CPI(ML) survey

The CPI(ML) Liberation on Saturday claimed that a survey it conducted in two Bihar Assembly constituencies found a substantial number of voters whose names were wrongfully deleted from the electoral rolls. Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, the party alleged that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise had made the electoral roll "way more inaccurate" and "compromised", and demanded that the voting rights of all wrongfully excluded voters be restored.

The party said its survey in Aigaon and Ziradei suggested that many deletions could be wrongful. It also said it would launch a national movement on the issue after completing its survey in Bihar, and appealed to opposition parties, civil society groups and other organisations working on electoral rights to join the campaign.

CPI(ML) Liberation general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya said the findings were particularly significant in Aigaon, where the party lost the election by 95 votes, and in Ziradei, where it lost by 2,626 votes. In Aigaon, he said, the party surveyed 204 voters whose names had been deleted before SIR in three booths and found that 46 of them, or 22.5 per cent, were still living in their villages. In four booths, it also checked 665 voters deleted during SIR and found that 77, or around 11 per cent, were still living there.

Based on that survey, Bhattacharya said the party estimated that more than 2,000 voters could have been wrongfully excluded across Aigaon. In Ziradei, he said, the party surveyed nine booths and found that 122 of 665 voters whose names were deleted during SIR were still residing in the village. It also found that 15 of 189 voters deleted before SIR were still there. He estimated that the number of wrongful deletions in the constituency could be around 3,500.

Bhattacharya said the booths were selected through what he described as "stratified sampling", focusing on areas that showed high levels of additions and deletions in the electoral rolls. He said party workers then carried out house-to-house verification of the voters concerned. He also alleged that some additions to the rolls made before SIR were suspect, but said the party's estimates of wrongful deletion did not take the issue of inclusion into account.

The claims come amid a widening political controversy over the functioning of the Election Commission and the SIR exercise. A recent report by The Indian Express said Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had recorded objections at least 14 times over 10 months to decisions of the poll panel, including on electoral roll revision and voter additions and deletions. The report has since become a key reference point for opposition parties seeking action against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, and the Opposition is preparing a fresh motion in Parliament seeking his removal, with legal experts helping draft the proposal.

Bhattacharya said the CPI(ML) wanted an immediate halt to SIR and restoration of voting rights to voters it says have been wrongfully excluded. Asked about the September 30 meeting of INDIA bloc parties on the issue, he said the matter should be taken up beyond the alliance as well, with the participation of all opposition parties and civil society groups concerned about democracy and universal franchise. "On June 8, there was a meeting of INDIA bloc. It was decided that we will meet again in two months. Actually, the meeting was supposed to be in August. But it was not possible," he said.

"Now, the biggest issue is SIR and along with SIR, Gyanesh Kumar, this Election Commission is a major crisis for Indian democracy," Bhattacharya said, adding that it should be the "top priority" for the INDIA bloc. AISA president Neha, who was also present at the press conference, alleged excessive use of force by police during Friday's protest against the CEC and said some police personnel were not wearing name tags. On demands for action against Kumar, she said the organisation was seeking not only his removal but also criminal action, alleging that the SIR process had undermined the universal right to vote.

The CPI(ML) said its survey in Aigaon and Ziradei pointed to large-scale wrongful deletions from electoral rolls, and repeated its demand for an immediate halt to the SIR exercise, restoration of voting rights to affected voters and a wider campaign involving opposition parties and civil society groups.