PATNA: A day after RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav hinted at a possible boycott of the upcoming assembly election over the process being adopted for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in Bihar, his ally, the Congress, said that the INDIA bloc was considering the ‘unprecedented’ option of boycotting the polls.
The Congress asserted that it would not accept the electoral rolls being prepared through the Election Commission’s ongoing SIR in the state.
AICC in-charge for Bihar, Krishna Allavaru, told the media that the INDIA bloc’s allies were holding discussions on the issue. “We challenge Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar to pick 1,000 random people in every constituency in Bihar and scrutinise whether the laid-down processes are being followed.
If even 25 percent turn out to be genuine, then we will accept the procedure. The truth is, this voter list belongs to the BJP and Gyanesh Kumar. We don’t accept it,” Allavaru said.
When asked whether his party aligned with Tejashwi’s suggestion of possibly boycotting the assembly polls, Allavaru said, “The INDIA bloc has maintained from day one that the SIR is designed to steal the elections. So, talks are underway on all options. One thing is clear, the votes of the people of Bihar are being stolen. All routes are open. All options are being considered.”
On Wednesday, Tejashwi had hinted at a possible boycott of the assembly election over the SIR in the state.
In a conversation with a news agency, Tejashwi said, “When you're not even conducting elections honestly, if you're going to conduct polls based on a voter list given by the BJP then what's the point of holding an election?
If there's going to be dishonesty from the start, why even hold elections?
The Election Commission might as well just give an extension to the present government instead of conducting polls. There is a fight between those who are trying to finish democracy and those who want to save it.”
On the other hand, Janata Dal (United) spokesperson Neeraj Kumar claimed, “Tejashwi has become synonymous with forgery. He is making baseless allegations against the SIR when the caste-based survey challenges his claim. He is making poll-boycott statements out of disappointment and desperation. People already boycotted him by limiting his party to four seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha election.”