New Delhi, July 7 (IANS) Amid growing political storm over the Election Commission’s ongoing voter verification drive in Bihar, senior BJP leader Shahnawaz Hussain strongly refuted Opposition’s charges that the revision of voters list is aimed at targeting minority community.

Dismissing the claims as politically motivated and “irresponsible fearmongering,” Hussain said the voter verification drive is a standard electoral procedure, not a conspiracy.

“Those who are spreading confusion in the name of voter verification are doing the wrong thing. Voter verification is a standard process that always takes place before elections… This is a procedural step, but some people are spreading the false narrative that Muslim votes are being deliberately removed,” said Hussain.

“I am from Bihar, have been a Member of Parliament thrice, and a minister in both the state and central governments. Not a single Muslim has come to me saying their vote is being deleted. These people are having dreams that Muslim votes will be cut. With no real issue to speak of, they are trying to scare the Muslim community. It’s very unfortunate,” he added.

The controversy stems from the Election Commission’s announcement of a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in Bihar. The revision aims to ensure that only eligible citizens are listed on the voter rolls, a process mandated by the Constitution.

On July 3, 11 parties from the INDIA bloc met with EC officials, alleging that over two crore voters in Bihar might be disenfranchised due to an inability to furnish the required documents in time. However, the EC clarified that voters can submit documents anytime before July 25, and even those who miss the deadline will be given another chance during the claims and objections period.

In its July 6 statement, the EC emphasised that 77,895 Booth Level Officers (BLOs) are conducting house-to-house visits, assisting voters in filling and submitting enumeration forms.

The EC also reiterated that the objective of the revision is to eliminate duplicate, outdated, or ineligible entries, such as people who have moved away, passed on, or are registered in more than one location, not to target any community.

Hussain also took aim at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, accusing him of using an isolated crime incident in Patna to malign the entire state of Bihar.

“Nitish Kumar has never compromised with crime or criminals. One incident in Patna is unfortunate, but to use it to defame the whole state is highly irresponsible. Rahul Gandhi should apologise for his remarks. Bihar today is seeing good governance under Nitish Kumar. Investors are coming in, jobs are being created, and people feel safe even at night. One exception cannot define the rule.”

–IANS

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