A campaign is going on in Bihar to correct the voter list. People are facing problems in getting documents made. Election Commission has approved only a few documents.
Mithilesh Kumar works at a medicine shop. He is a resident of Raghopur in Patna, but the search for employment has brought him to Katihar. His name is registered in the village’s voter list, but he does not have a residential or birth certificate. If he had passed matriculation, he would have submitted a copy of the degree, but he failed. He can get two-three days leave from the shop to get the documents made, but given the crowd in government departments right now, Mithilesh’s work will hardly be done. Another problem is that of middlemen. Certificates are not being made quickly without paying convenience fee. Many such complaints are coming. Mithilesh has neither money nor time. He has Aadhar card, but it is not valid for the Election Commission.
Lots of errors: This problem is common in Bihar which is undergoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR). People are worried about getting their documents made and corrected. CM Nitish Kumar’s photo is on the voter card of Abhilasha who lives in Jalal Patti of Madhepura. Her husband Chandan Kumar alleges that when he complained about this to the BLO, he advised him to hide the error. Chandan is unable to understand how to complete the documents in the voter revision form.
Voters in doubt: Assembly elections are to be held in Bihar by the end of this year. Before this, the campaign of the Election Commission has put the voters in doubt. More than two crore people are being directly affected due to the campaign. Most of them are Dalits, poor and the population which is not educated.
Commission’s order: According to the Election Commission, out of 7.90 crore voters of Bihar, names of 4.96 crore are included in the voter list of 2003. They just have to fill the form and do not need to provide any document. The remaining 2.94 crore people, out of these, those whose parents’ name is in the 2003 voter list, also do not have to provide separate documents. But, those whose parents’ or their own name is not in that list of 22 years ago, they will have to provide documents along with the form.
Valid documents: Election Commission has released a list of 11 documents, out of which one has to be given – Birth certificate, Matriculation or Education certificate, Passport, Permanent Resident Certificate, Caste Certificate, Forest Rights Certificate, Government employee or pensioner identity card, Certificate issued by bank/post office etc., NRC (not applicable in Bihar), Service Identity Card, Land or House Registry.
Opposition’s demand: Aadhar card, ration card and MNREGA job card are not in this list. Citing the problems of the public, the opposition is demanding to include these as well. At the same time, Bihar’s Chief Electoral Officer Vinod Singh Gunjiyal says that if the voters were facing problems, then more than three crore forms would not have been submitted till now.
Fake Voters: The Election Commission says that the purpose of this entire campaign is to remove the names of illegal immigrants included in the voter list through fake Aadhaar, MNREGA job cards etc. In the past years, a large number of outsiders came to the state and became voters in an illegal manner. It is alleged that various parties got their documents made in vote bank politics. The purpose of SIR is to correct the voter list.
Problem of infiltrators: Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary says, a large number of Bangladeshi and Rohingya infiltrators have settled in the border areas of the state. Efforts are made to get permanent resident certificates through fake Aadhaar and ration cards so that they can become voters. According to the November 2024 report of the Union Food Ministry, out of the 80 crore beneficiaries of the PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana, about 6 crore had fake ration cards, which have been canceled.
What is the guideline: Patna High Court advocates Madhukar Mishra and Shashankdhar Shekhar say, ‘According to item no. 5 in the guideline of Form-6, it is not necessary to provide Aadhaar card. Aadhaar card is not a necessary document of citizenship. However, it can be a helpful document in filling Form-6 to get the name registered in the voter list.’
Voter awareness: The opposition continues to protest. Its enthusiasm has also increased due to the success and public support of the Bihar Bandh on 9 July. Despite this uproar, it is also a fact that voter awareness has increased on this pretext. People are worried about becoming voters. Most people are not creating any problem in submitting the form. Naresh Verma, a resident of Paru in Muzaffarpur, has submitted the forms of 8 members of his family. While talking, his happiness is understandable that his family will remain voters.
Supreme seal: When the Supreme Court has made it clear that the voter list revision will continue in Bihar, then in a way the campaign has got a firm seal. The opposition has definitely got a little shock from this, but the apex court also suggested to recognize Aadhaar, ration and voter card. The opposition is considering it a success and is also sending this message to the lower sections of the society that the parties of the ruling coalition are using the Election Commission for their benefit.
Author: Priyaranjan Bharti, Edited by: NBT Desk
About the author
Whether it is news of the country, world, sports or the inside story of the corridors of politics, NBT News Desk brings every news to you.
Courtesy: Hindi News