RANCHI: Just before the discussion on excessive rainfall in the Jharkhand Assembly on Tuesday, the House passed a resolution opposing the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The resolution was introduced by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Radhakrishna Kishore after being prompted by Congress Legislature Party Leader Pradeep Yadav. It was declared passed by Speaker Rabindra Nath Mahato, citing the majority support in the House.
Explaining the motive behind the resolution, Kishore said that the unity and integrity of the country are preserved due to the strength of its parliamentary democracy. Any attempt to weaken this system, he warned, could harm the nation's foundational unity.
"Considering the sentiment of the House, I said I would consult with the Leader of the House, Hemant Soren, and present the government's view in line with these sentiments," Kishore added.
He criticised the ECI’s ongoing special intensive revision of electoral rolls, claiming it imposes stringent identification requirements that could disenfranchise a large number of voters—particularly the poor, marginalised, and illiterate.
“This is being done with the objective of directly benefiting the party in power,” he alleged. Kishore added that the current methodology adopted under the SIR would undermine the democratic fabric of India.
Emphasising that the INDIA bloc government led by Hemant Soren is committed to protecting democracy, Kishore formally proposed that the Assembly oppose the ECI’s current approach to the voter list revision.
Members of the ruling coalition supported the proposal with desk-thumping. However, Leader of the Opposition Babulal Marandi strongly opposed the move, calling it a “conspiracy to enrol Bangladeshi infiltrators and Rohingyas as voters.”
Congress’s Pradeep Yadav urged the Speaker to put the resolution to a vote. Speaker Mahato, however, declared, “The resolution stands automatically passed as the ruling coalition has the majority.”
Marandi objected, accusing the Congress of dubious intentions. “The Parliamentary Affairs Minister criticised the SIR, but failed to offer any suggestions. This clearly indicates whose names they are trying to include in the voter list,” he said.
He further pointed out that intensive revisions of voter rolls have been conducted previously without objection, and questioned the sudden resistance now. “Intensive revision is absolutely necessary in Jharkhand. I’ve long maintained that the state’s demography is changing rapidly, particularly in Santhal Pargana,” he said.
Marandi alleged that the resolution was part of a conspiracy to include Bangladeshi and Rohingya infiltrators in the state’s voter rolls.