By Anindya Banerjee News18
A massive controversy over electoral rolls has taken centre stage in Bihar ahead of the year-end poll after the Election Commission (EC) linked citizenship to people exercising their franchise, unnerving many.
WHO NEEDS TO PROVE CITIZENSHIP?
The EC kicked off a special, intensive revision of the voter list in Bihar this week. According to an announcement on Saturday, of the total 7.89 crore voters in the state, around 4.96 crore鈥攖hose who were already registered as of January 1, 2003鈥攐nly need to fill out and submit the new enumeration form. However, the remaining 2.93 crore voters, which is about 37 per cent of the total, will also need to provide documents proving their Indian citizenship along with the form.
Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar told news agency PTI on Sunday that the purpose is to ensure that no eligible citizen is left out of the electoral rolls while no ineligible person is part of it. The 37 per cent population will have to provide one of the 11 listed documents to establish their place or date of birth. EC, however, clarified that it does not mean they need to furnish the place/date of birth of their parents if their parents are named in the 2003 voters鈥 list.
WHY THE NEED NOW?
There is a difference between a usual revision of the electoral roll where one can add delete or edit names and EC鈥檚 special intensive revision.
Intensive revisions were carried out in 1952-56, 1957, 1961, 1965, 1966, 1983-84, 1987-89, 1992, 1993, 1995, 2002, 2003 and 2004, the poll body has revealed鈥攁 fact that may put the Congress in a spot.
The last intensive revision for Bihar was conducted by the commission in the year 2003. This time, the EC has its reasons for repeating the practice.
鈥淰arious reasons such as rapid urbanisation, frequent migration, young citizens becoming eligible to vote, non-reporting of deaths and inclusion of the names of foreign illegal immigrants have necessitated the conduct of an intensive revision so as to ensure integrity and preparation of error-free electoral rolls,鈥 the poll body reasoned on June 24 when it announced its plans for Bihar.
WHAT WILL PROVE YOUR CITIZENSHIP?
In addition to the enumeration form, electors added to the role after 2003 will have to prove their citizenship in Bihar in this assembly election. Those born in India before July 1, 1987, will have to submit any document from the specified list. But those born in India between July 1, 1987, and December 2, 2004, will have to submit an additional document establishing one parent鈥檚 date and place of birth. Those born in India after December 2, 2004, will have to submit documents establishing the date and place of birth of both parents.
Passports, birth certificates, and SC/ST certificates are some of the valid documents that will do the job among many others.
POLITICS & GHOST OF NRC
The EC has made it clear that the move will not be limited to Bihar and will be rolled out across the country. With six assembly elections lined up, many chief ministers are visibly uncomfortable with the move.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee likened it to Assam鈥檚 National Register of Citizens (NRC), calling the move 鈥渕ore dangerous than NRC鈥. She called for 鈥渆very political opposition party鈥 to 鈥渞esist鈥, claiming that West Bengal, in particular, is being targeted ahead of assembly election due early next year.
Congress, which knows that similar exercises have taken place under its governments in the past, has been cautious in its criticism. The Grand Old Party claimed that 鈥渁ll is not well with India鈥檚 electoral rolls鈥. Meanwhile, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav questioned the Lok Sabha electoral roll鈥檚 legitimacy, asking the EC if the current electoral roll needs to be updated too. Left parties like CPIM and CPIML too raised concerns over potentially disenfranchising electors.