Opposition’s allegations over SIR baseless: Bihar CM

You don’t have any Active Subscription.

Account subscription benefits alongside Premium Stories, Editorials, Opinions and more. Unlock these with Subscription

Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary. File. | Photo Credit: ANI

Responding to the allegations about the SIR, Mr. Choudhary said the Opposition had failed to produce even a single individual who was a resident of Bihar and whose name had been deleted from the electoral roll.

He also took a dig at Opposition leaders Tejashwi Yadav of the Rashtriya Janata Dal and Rahul Gandhi of the Congress, saying both were princes who keep touring Bihar merely for tourism. The Chief Minister claimed that Opposition leaders, be at the State or national level, failed to present the facts.

“During the SIR process, names of eligible voters were not removed; a full process for filing claims and objections was available. The SIR process in Bihar was conducted in a transparent manner and in accordance with established rules,” Mr. Choudhary told a press conference in Patna.

In a democratic system, people were sovereign and select their representatives by exercising their voting rights.

The Chief Minister explained that during the SIR, names included in the electoral rolls were verified; entries concerning deceased persons, individuals who had permanently relocated, and voters registered at more than one location were also verified.

“The Opposition is spreading misinformation about the SIR. The Election Commission had made the 2003 electoral roll available online so that eligible voters could verify their old details during the 2025 SIR process,” Mr. Choudhary said.

He asserted that voter details were verified based on prescribed documents and, following Supreme Court directives, Aadhaar card was also accepted as a document for identity verification. The Supreme Court had clarified that while Aadhaar was acceptable for establishing identity, it did not serve as proof of citizenship, Mr. Choudhary said.

Referring to questions raised by Mr. Gandhi and Mr. Yadav on the SIR, Mr. Choudhary said the Election Commission had already clarified its position on these matters. The Chief Minister added that if an eligible person’s name was missing from the electoral roll or if there was a genuine grievance, it should be raised through the prescribed procedure; so far, no such complaint had been received.

Ever since the report in Indian Express, Mr. Yadav and Mr. Gandhi have been demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and re-election in five States, including Bihar and West Bengal. 

In the report, it was claimed that two Election Commissioners, Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, had formally recorded objections at least 14 times over the last 10 months.

Referring to a meeting held by the three Election Commissioners, the Chief Minister said all the three Commissioners met and clarified that the Commission’s decisions were taken collectively. He said now the situation was clear and anyone wishing to allege irregularities in the election must present facts and supporting documents.

Mr. Choudhary asked the Opposition parties to come out with facts and evidence. Dismissing the Opposition’s allegations as baseless, he asserted that the Election Commission and the judiciary were vital institutions within the democratic framework.

“The pace of development in the country has accelerated under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and the Opposition is unable to digest the fact that the son of a poor family has become the Prime Minister of the country. The country is progressing well, and the Opposition does not like this,” Mr. Choudhary said.

He alleged that the Opposition was engaged in spreading confusion. 

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.