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Questioning the credibility of the Bihar polls, Tejashwi Yadav warned that the Mahagathbandhan may boycott the Bihar elections if the voter roll revision exercise isn’t stopped.
Patna: Leader of Opposition in the Bihar Assembly and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav during the Monsoon session of the state Assembly (Photo: PTI)
Tejashwi Yadav on Thursday reiterated that the parties in the Mahagathbandhan could boycott the upcoming elections in Bihar if the Election Commission’s voter roll revision in Bihar was not stopped.
“We are keeping the option of boycotting Bihar assembly polls open,” RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav said, on the Special Intensive Revision row.
“When the winner in the election is already fixed, what is the use of conducting such an election?” he asked.
“Booth-level officers are putting their own signatures and thumb impressions, on behalf of voters, on enumeration forms. Blank forms are being used like waste paper,” he alleged.
“Independent journalists who point out these anomalies are getting slapped with FIRs. And the government is okay with all this because the EC is acting like a political tool of the ruling dispensation,” Yadav alleged.
On a question of him speaking to the other leaders, Tejashwi said, “We will speak to all leaders under the Mahagathbandhan.”
On Wednesday, too, Tejashwi Yadav had threatened to boycott the Bihar elections if the SIR exercise was not stopped.
The same day, a high drama had unfolded in the Bihar Assembly after Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s intervention during Yadav’s statement on the SIR triggered a heated exchange.
The situation escalated, prompting Speaker Nand Kishor Yadav to adjourn the proceedings till 2 pm, barely 30 minutes after the House had convened at 11 am.
The Speaker expressed disgust over the conduct of many opposition members, who used unparliamentary language, as also those on the ruling side, who refused to back down despite repeated requests.
Tejashwi Yadav, who was wearing a black T-shirt as a mark of protest against the Election Commission’s exercise in the state, was allowed by the Speaker to make a statement on the issue, which had evoked protests both inside and outside the House on Tuesday.
BIHAR SIR AND THE PROTESTS
During house-to-house visits in the ongoing SIR of electoral rolls in Bihar, poll officials have so far found that more than 52 lakh voters were not present at their addresses, and another 18 lakh have died, according to the Election Commission.
Opposition parties have claimed that the EC exercise will disenfranchise crores of eligible citizens.
The RJD has also moved the Supreme Court against the voter roll revision in Bihar.
Opposition members, who have been turning up at the state assembly for the past couple of days dressed in black as a mark of protest against the SIR, were allowed to make statements by the Speaker on Thursday.
A couple of ministers also took part in the discussion.
ALSO READ | ‘Should EC Allow Dead Voters On List’: CEC Gyanesh Kumar Amid Opposition Protest On Bihar SIR
Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy News Editor at News18.com. She has nearly 10 years of experience in both national and international news and has previously worked on multiple desks.
Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy News Editor at News18.com. She has nearly 10 years of experience in both national and international news and has previously worked on multiple desks.
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