RJD cries foul even as ECI data shows robust participation in Bihar’s voter verification drive

New Delhi, July 27 (IANS) Despite the Election Commission of India (ECI) releasing detailed data that showcases overwhelming voter participation and active involvement of opposition parties via their BLA’s in Bihar's Special Intensive Revision (SIR), the political row around the process refuses to die down.  

BJP Rajya Sabha MP Shambhu Sharan Patel welcomed the data, slamming the opposition for “casting doubt without cause.”

“Opposition has no real issues to raise, so they keep questioning the verification process. Ironically, they appointed the highest number of Booth Level Agents (BLAs),” Patel told IANS, adding that adequate time was also provided to those whose names were missing.

Indeed, data released by the ECI shows that opposition parties not only participated but significantly increased their BLA count during the drive.

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) recorded a 1083 per cent rise in BLAs - from 76 to 899. The CPI(ML) Liberation saw a 542 per cent increase, while the Congress doubled its agents from 8,586 to 17,549.

However, RJD MP Abhay Kushwaha dismissed the exercise as a “democratic farce.”

“SIR is just an excuse. BJP is playing with democracy,” he alleged, and further questioned the authenticity of the 7.24 crore forms, claiming that 1.5 to 2 crore Biharis are living outside the state. “How did they return and submit forms? Were special trains arranged? Nothing of that sort happened,” he said.

Kushwaha further claimed that BJP workers were directly involved in the enumeration process. “In some districts, people were told to collect and sign forms without door-to-door verification. We’ve demanded a discussion on this in the Bihar Assembly,” he added.

While the numbers indicate strong participation across party lines, the political tug-of-war over the legitimacy of the SIR process is far from over.

The Election Commission on Sunday said that over 7.24 crore electors - more than 91 per cent of Bihar’s total 7.89 crore voters - submitted their verification forms.

The drive, conducted between June 24 and July 25, is being hailed as one of the most extensive electoral exercises in the state’s history.