Parliament Monsoon Session: Congress demands debate over electoral fraud and voter roll manipulation in Bihar

Congress Whip Manickam Tagore. Image/File pic

After a chaotic and cluttered Parliament Monsoon Session, the issue of electoral fraud continues to dominate discussions. Congress MPs in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha on Thursday submitted motions seeking debate on alleged electoral fraud and concerns over the "credibility and inclusiveness of electoral systems."

According to ANI, Congress whip Manickam Tagore in the Lok Sabha has moved an adjournment motion to discuss matters related to the Election Commission, particularly concerning the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in poll-bound Bihar.

In his letter to the Lok Sabha Secretary-General, Congress MP Tagore stated, "I seek to move an adjournment motion to bring to the immediate attention of this House an issue of grave constitutional and democratic concern - the widespread manipulation of electoral rolls, the alarming conduct of the Election Commission of India (ECI), and the systematic disenfranchisement of legitimate voters, particularly in the state of Bihar," as reported by ANI.

Citing allegations made by Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, Tagore maintained that "credible reports" indicate how genuine voters are wrongly marked as deceased and deleted from the rolls in Bihar.

He further wrote, "Such discrepancies raise serious doubts about the intent, transparency and impartiality of the SIR process, which increasingly appears to be a targeted exercise aimed at manipulating voter demographics to benefit the ruling party," ANI reported.

Tagore also criticised recent amendments to the Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners Act, specifically section 16, which grants serving and former Commissioners immunity from legal action for decisions made in office.

As per ANI, the Congress leader demanded an immediate halt to the Bihar SIR, a parliamentary inquiry into alleged voter roll manipulation, a review of the 2023 electoral laws, and "structural reforms" to ensure transparency and accountability in the ECI.

In the Rajya Sabha, Congress MP Syed Naseer Hussain submitted a suspension of business notice under Rule 267 to discuss "the issues affecting the credibility and inclusiveness of electoral systems."

He noted, "This House suspended Zero Hour and the relevant rules pertaining to Question Hour and other business of the day to debate issues affecting the credibility and inclusiveness of electoral systems. Serious concerns have arisen about the exclusion of already precarious communities from the electoral rolls, particularly in the absence of adequate safeguards, transparency, and due process in their implementation," ANI cited.

Separately, Congress MP Akhilesh Prasad Singh also filed a notice to debate "the concerns around the conduct of free and fair elections."

Akhilesh Prasad stated, "This House suspended Zero Hour and the relevant rules pertaining to Question Hour and other business of the day to discuss the concerns around the conduct of free and fair elections. High levels of migration, displacement, and documentation-related vulnerabilities in certain states affect voter participation and raise grave apprehensions about the disenfranchisement of a large section of the poor and marginalised," ANI reported.

(With inputs from ANI)