INDIA bloc leaders to meet on August 7 amid demands to discuss voter list revision in Bihar

Thrissur (Kerala) [India], August 4 (ANI): The INDIA bloc leaders are set to meet on August 7 in the national capital amid their demands to hold a Parliamentary discussion on the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in Bihar ahead of the upcoming assembly elections, Congress MP KC Venugopal said.
"There will be a get-together on August 7 in Delhi. INDIA alliance leaders will be there," Venugopal told ANI.
Slamming the Election Commission (EC) for "systematically targeting the democratic values", Venugopal stated that his party will reveal the "serious malpractices" of the poll body in Bengaluru on August 5. He further alleged that the names of many voters have been "excluded" from the draft electoral rolls for Bihar recently released by the EC.
"We are protesting against SIR inside and outside Parliament. The Election Commission is systematically targeting the democratic values of this country. We expected neutrality from the Election Commission, but they are not doing so. The names of many voters have been excluded from the list in Bihar. How can a fair democracy run like this? We are going to reveal the serious malpractices of the Election Commission in Bengaluru on August 5," the Congress MP said.
The INDIA bloc members will be meeting over dinner at Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi's residence on August 7, sources said on Sunday.
The voter list revision in Bihar has sparked a political row across the country, with the opposition alliance alleging that the revision process could lead to the deletion of a large number of voters.
Several INDIA bloc MPs have moved adjournment motion notices and Rule 267 notices in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, respectively, demanding a detailed debate on the SIR drive.
The ongoing monsoon session of Parliament has witnessed constant adjournments amid opposition protests.
According to data from the revision exercise in Bihar, around 35 lakh electors have either migrated permanently or could not be traced at their registered addresses. The figures have raised serious concerns about the integrity of the voter list as the Election Commission prepares for a nationwide revision of electoral rolls.
It is also worth noting that a large number of untraceable electors have been found during the SIR in Bihar.
As per government data from 2017, an estimated 2.04 crore Bangladeshi nationals and Rohingyas are believed to be living illegally in India, adding another layer of complexity to concerns over voter list accuracy. As of January 1, 2024, India had 96.88 crore registered voters for the General Elections, making the outcome of the nationwide revision exercise highly significant. (ANI)