Patna, Oct 29 (IANS) Launching a sharp counterattack against the opposition’s allegations regarding the electoral system, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) asserted that defeated parties are deliberately attempting to tarnish constitutional institutions to cover up their political losses.
Addressing a press conference in Patna as part of the party’s ‘Save Democracy, Eliminate Anarchy’ campaign, former Bihar BJP president and MP Sanjay Jaiswal accused the Congress party and Rahul Gandhi of creating baseless mistrust around the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists, Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), and overall election integrity.
Targeting Congress’s persistent demand to abandon EVMs in favour of paper ballots, Jaiswal pointed to the recent Legislative Council election results.
He emphasised that Legislative Council elections are conducted strictly using physical ballot papers under the preferential voting system.
“Despite ballot papers being used, Congress managed to win just a single seat out of the 28 contested,” Jaiswal stated.
He further cited the Karnataka Legislative Council elections, noting that Congress lost all four seats there despite holding power in the state.
“When election outcomes fail to favour them even with paper ballots, their strategy of questioning the voting process stands completely exposed,” he said.
Responding to opposition criticism regarding the ‘Special Intensive Revision’ (SIR) exercise, Jaiswal clarified that updating voter rolls is a constitutional responsibility of the Election Commission, executed regularly since 1950.
Highlighting the scope of the recent drive in Bihar, the BJP leader revealed that approximately 4.7 million (47 lakh) entries were sanitised—including the removal of deceased voters, relocated residents, and duplicate registrations.
He reiterated that any genuine voter mistakenly omitted retains the right to submit objections through standard regulatory procedures.
Underscoring national security concerns, Jaiswal stressed that voting rights are strictly reserved for Indian citizens meeting age and residential criteria.
He pointed to alleged irregularities in West Bengal, claiming attempts have been made to enrol Bangladeshi infiltrators and Rohingya refugees using forged credentials.
“While India belongs to citizens of all faiths, allowing illegal entrants onto voter lists directly threatens our democratic framework,” Jaiswal said, adding that the ongoing Special Summary Revision (SSR) aims to eliminate non-eligible entries.
Echoing Jaiswal’s views, senior BJP leader and Arwal MLA Manoj Sharma highlighted Article 324 of the Constitution, reminding political parties that the Election Commission holds absolute authority over the direction and control of elections.
Sharma urged opposition leaders to cooperate in refining electoral data under the principle of “one citizen, one vote” rather than making unsubstantiated claims.
Bihar cabinet minister Ashok Chaudhary also weighed in on the issue, stating that those who championed paper ballots have now seen the public’s verdict delivered through their preferred medium.
–IANS
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