New Delhi, July 5 (IANS) Expressing serious concerns over the potential exclusion of genuine voters on the Election Commission’s decision to revise the voter list in Bihar, the Welfare Party of India on Saturday strongly condemned the move, calling it a “devious and dubious idea”.

“With elections scheduled for later this year, he questioned the feasibility of preparing a new list of 80 million voters within just 25 days, especially considering the flood situation affecting 73 per cent of the state”, Dr. SQR Ilyas, the National General Secretary, Welfare Party of India.

Voicing strong apprehensions regarding the move that could disenfranchise a large number of eligible voters, Dr IIyas stated that both his party and the general public are deeply concerned about the potential for deliberate exclusion of voters in Bihar.

He alleged that lakhs of government officials responsible for document verification are in a position to arbitrarily decide who can vote and who cannot, undermining the very essence of the adult franchise.

Highlighting the plight of thousands of Bihari migrant workers who are currently outside the state and who typically return home during elections to cast their vote, the party expressed concerns and said that it “may now be excluded and effectively disenfranchised.”

“Reports suggest that nearly 20 million voters could be left out in this revision process”, the party said in its press statement.

Dr IIyas, in his statement, mentioned that the INDIA bloc, which comprises 11 political parties, met with Election Commission officials to register their strong opposition to the decision, calling it an attack on the basic structure of the Constitution.

“He affirmed that the Welfare Party of India will stand at the forefront of the movement alongside the INDIA bloc to oppose this action”, it said.

Raising concerns on the credibility of the Election Commission, the party noted that “it should not become a tool to serve the ulterior motives of the BJP government.”

–IANS

sas/skp