Rajya Sabha MP Akhilesh Prasad Singh has submitted a suspension of business notice in the Rajya Sabha under Rule 267, seeking a discussion on the constitutional and electoral implications of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists in Bihar.
“That this House suspend zero hour and the relevant rules pertaining to question hour and other business of the day to discuss the concerns arising out of the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in Bihar ahead of elections, followed by a plan to conduct similar exercises nationwide, including in West Bengal, where high levels of migration, displacement, and documentation-related vulnerabilities persist. Such actions raise grave apprehensions about the disenfranchisement of a large section of the poor and marginalised,” the notice stated.
Rajya Sabha MPs Ranjeet Ranjan, Jebi Mather Hisham and Ashok Singh have also submitted an adjournment motion to discuss SIR.
The Congress has accused the Election Commission of attempting to disenfranchise nearly 20% of voters in Bihar under the pretext of the ongoing SIR of electoral rolls.
Addressing a press conference in Delhi, Bihar Congress president Rajesh Kumar alleged that the EC had already decided to deny voting rights to large sections of the population, especially migrant workers who are forced to live outside the state but return during elections to cast their votes.
Meanwhile, Aam Aadmi Party MP Sanjay Singh also submitted a suspension of business notice in the Rajya Sabha under Rule 267, demanding a discussion in the Upper House on the SIR exercise in Bihar.
“I would like to draw the attention of this House to a very serious and sensitive issue relating to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process currently being conducted by the Election Commission of India in the State of Bihar,” his notice read.
He stated that the SIR in Bihar appears “worrisome” at many levels and promotes “inequality.”
“Regular and transparent revision of electoral rolls is the cornerstone of a democratic system. The nature of this process, as adopted in Bihar, appears to be worrisome at many levels and promotes inequality—especially when viewed in the context of the upcoming Assembly elections in 2025,” the Rajya Sabha MP said in his notice.
“This process involves around 8 crore voters in the state, from whom demanding complex documentation is proving to be nearly impossible, particularly for migrant labourers, students, and economically backward sections who possess only Aadhaar cards as identity proof,” he added.
Both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha faced repeated adjournments for the third consecutive day yesterday, as opposition parties continued to press for a discussion on SIR in Bihar, among other issues.
