New Delhi, Aug 6 (IANS) Union Minister Giriraj Singh on Wednesday slammed the Opposition, accusing them of allegedly spreading confusion over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise of electoral rolls in Bihar ahead of the Assembly elections in the state and stalling Parliament proceedings.
His remarks came after the Election Commission of India (ECI) released Bihar’s draft electoral roll following the completion of the first phase of the SIR.
The poll body reported that, despite the noise in political circles, no objections were filed by any political party regarding the draft roll — raising questions over the sincerity of the Opposition’s concerns.
Speaking to IANS, Giriraj Singh claimed, “It is deeply unfortunate that Parliament is being disrupted, and confusion is being spread across the country. The Election Commission has issued multiple clarifications on SIR. Today is August 6, and yet, not a single political party has officially registered any objection. This exposes the Opposition’s agenda.”
He further accused Congress MP Rahul Gandhi and RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav of “merely abusing the Election Commission without engaging in the formal democratic process.”
“Nothing could be more unfortunate than this,” he told IANS.
Earlier in the day, the ECI confirmed that as of 9 A.M. on August 6, no political party had filed any objections or claims regarding the draft electoral roll published on August 1. However, the poll panel noted it had received 3,659 claims and objections directly from electors. Additionally, 19,186 forms were submitted by new voters who have recently turned 18.
Earlier, the ECI suspended seven Booth Level Officers (BLOs) in Bihar for gross dereliction of duty during the SIR process.
The officers were suspended by the Patna District Election Officer-cum-District Magistrate with immediate effect. The suspensions were based on their absence from duty, failure to adhere to guidelines, and making decisions without consulting senior officials.
The suspended BLOs include Mamta Singh, Anupama, Aarti Kumari, and Minnie Kumari from the Fatuha Assembly constituency, and Jitendra Kumar Chaudhary, Ashwini Kumar, and Ram Ratan Kumar from the Mokama constituency.
The District Magistrate emphasised that “any kind of laxity, negligence, or irregularity in the electoral revision work will not be tolerated under any circumstances.”
Meanwhile, special camps have been set up at both block and district levels across Bihar to address complaints arising from the SIR process. These camps, operational since August 2, are functioning in mission mode to resolve voter issues efficiently and transparently.
–IANS
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