New Delhi, July 9 (IANS) Former Samajwadi Party (SP) MP S.T. Hasan launched a scathing attack on the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Wednesday, accusing it of acting like an “agent of the BJP” in light of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in poll-bound Bihar.

Hasan’s sharp criticism came after the ECI’s move to declare Aadhaar cards as insufficient for voter list verification in Bihar, sparking fresh controversy ahead of the Assembly elections.

“The Election Commission is working as an agent of the BJP and also helping it to form its government in the state,” alleged Hasan. “Within just a month, they plan to complete the re-verification of electoral rolls, and shockingly, they’ve declared Aadhaar, a document required almost everywhere, as invalid for the process. What kind of justice is this?”

The former MP further argued that while documents like passports and ration cards, which are issued on basis of Aadhaar verification, remain valid, Aadhaar itself is being sidelined. He raised concerns that the commission is making it nearly impossible for the poor and marginalised to prove their citizenship.

“They are now asking for birth certificates, not just of individuals, but of their parents, to prove Indian citizenship. Tell me, how many poor villagers have their birth certificates, let alone their parents’? Nobody does this in villages,” Dr. Hasan said.

“Let me say it clearly, the Election Commission is working to help form a BJP government. This is a backdoor NRC. It seems around 2 crore people will be stripped of their voting rights and, ultimately, their citizenship,” Hasan accused.

Meanwhile, the Election Commission, in its July 6 statement, asserted that the SIR exercise is intended to ensure accurate electoral rolls by removing ineligible entries, such as deceased individuals, relocated voters, and duplicate registrations. The ECI stated that the process is impartial and does not target any specific group or community.

According to official data, as of July 6, over 3.7 crore enumeration forms accounting for nearly 47 per cent of Bihar’s 7.9 crore electors have been collected since the revision drive began on June 24. The Commission remains confident that the process will conclude ahead of its July 25 deadline.

–IANS

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