North India Statesman
News India Live, Digital Desk: In Bihar politics, there has been a new ruckus over the alleged manipulation in voter lists. Bihar Congress President Akhilesh Prasad Singh has claimed that there is no 35 lakhs from the state’s voter list, but preparations are being made to remove 3.5 crore names in the shocking number! This figure is so big that if this happens, political earthquake in the state is sure to come, as it can have a profound impact on the outcome of the elections. Congress President Akhilesh Prasad Singh has directly targeted the ruling Janata Dal (United) i.e. JDU. They allege that BJP and JDU, who are currently in government, are working on ‘plans to cut votes’. He claims that the direct purpose of deleting these 3.5 crore names is to keep a special vote bank away from the election process. Singh emphasized his point and said that all the leaders of the Congress and India (India) alliance will soon meet Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and hold a detailed conversation on this sensitive issue. He says that the Congress and its allies will make every effort to stop this ‘fraud’. However, JDU spokesperson Rajiv Ranjan Prasad has dismissed these allegations outright. He described the statement of Bihar Congress President Akhilesh Prasad Singh as ‘Nuclek’ and ‘Kosk Koshi’. Ranjan Prasad claimed that Bihar’s Chief Electoral Officer and Chief Secretary are continuously working as per the guidelines of the Election Commission, and there is no talk of any kind of ‘cut’. According to him, if the name of a person has been removed or added anywhere in the voter list, then it is done only after the criteria and duly verification of the Election Commission. He termed these claims as political maneuvers arising out of the opposition’s nervousness and fear of electoral defeat. The process of removing or connecting the names from the list is always under the rules and guidelines of the Election Commission, including removing the names of dead voters, removing double entry or other legitimate reasons. But it is natural to heat up politics on big figures like 3.5 crore, especially when the next Lok Sabha and Assembly elections are close in the state. It will be interesting to see how the opposition proves its claims and how the ruling coalition responds to this big charge. This issue can further heat the political scenario of Bihar.
