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Why Bihar parties want polls in 1 or 2 phases; EC faces voter deletion questions
Major political parties in Bihar, including the ruling BJP-JD(U) combine and opposition RJD-Congress-led INDIA bloc, on Saturday urged the Election Commission of India (ECI) to hold the forthcoming assembly polls in Bihar in one or maximum two phases, during their interaction with EC chief Gyanesh Kumar and commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi in Patna on Saturday.
The full team of the poll panel led by Kumar held meetings with representatives of 12 recognised political parties at a hotel in Patna as part of a three-day visit to Bihar to assess the poll preparedness in the state ahead of the announcement of assembly polls.
There is speculation that the dates would be announced in the next few days after the commission winds up its tour in Bihar.
In 2020, the election was conducted in three phases — Octpber 28, November 3 and 7 — and the counting of votes was done on November 10. The ruling NDA formed the government with a slim majority led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
"We have urged the EC to conduct the elections in one or two phases. The election process need not be staggered. Also, tallying of faces of voters, especially burqa-clad women, must be ensured with respective EPIC cards so that only genuine voters get to exercise their franchise," said state BJP president Dilip Jaiswal, after attending the meeting with ECI full team.
He said conduct of one or two phase elections would also put less burden of expenses on voters' and candidates of various political parties.
Jaiswal said his party had also urged the EC to ensure adequate deployment of central police forces in areas vulnerable to booth capturing and intimidation of voters.
"We have also requested that paramilitary forces be deployed in villages with a heavy population of weaker sections like extremely backward classes, a few days in advance and a flag march-like exercise be conducted to instil confidence among the voters," he added.
The ruling JD(U), another key constituent of the NDA, pressed for a one-phase election, as per reports. JD(U) national working president Sanjay Jha told reporters that his party had urged the ECI to conduct the forthcoming polls in one phase as the law and order situation in Bihar was good. "There is no problem of Naxalism in Bihar and the law and order situation in the state is good. The election in Maharashtra was conducted in one phase. It can be done in Bihar, too," Jha said.
On the other hand, the principal opposition party in Bihar, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD),CPI(ML)-Liberation and other Left parties laid stress on holding the polls in two phases even as they sought information from the EC about another 3.66 lakh voters whose names were deleted from the final updated electoral rolls published on 30 September after the Special Intensive Revision ( SIR).
"We have suggested the election should be done in two phases. Besides, we have raised the issue about the deletion of 3.66 lakh voters from the final updated rolls, whether those deleted have been given the opportunity of two appeals and why they were not given a written order as the final rolls would be frozen once the dates of the polls are announced," said Chittaranjan Gagan, state spokesperson who was part of the three-member RJD delegation having met the poll panel team on Saturday. Abhay Kushwaha and Mukund Singh were other members of the team.
Gagan said the RJD had also sought information of those voters who have been categorised as “not an Indian citizen” district-wise so that parties can know how many foreign nationals are staying in various parts of the state.
"We have also suggested that a large number of voters of one family have been put in different booths as per rationalisation of booths. This should be corrected. Besides, we have suggested that video recording of entire counting of postal ballots be done and strict action be taken against those officials found acting in a biased manner and also look into transfers of officers being done ahead of the polls," the RJD leader said.
Congress leaders including state president Rajesh Kumar, Shakeel Ahmad Khan and others, who met the EC team, demanded that the list of names added in the SIR final draft should be made public and also make public the number of voters found to be illegal immigrants in the state.
Congress state president said that there are 12 demands made from the ECI related to SIR including the reasons why a large number of women voters were deleted from the final rolls.
"The final updated rolls continue to have many anomalies. There are a lot of discrepancies in the addition of names. We want the list of names of voters added in the final list, deleted and also how many voters were found to be illegal immigrants. We have also asked the ECI to give soft copies of the final updated rolls," said Khan, who is the Congress legislature party leader in the state assembly.
CPI(ML) leaders including Pervej said the ECI had been urged to make separate booths for muslims, dalits and weaker sections and also ensure that Form 17C (which records the voter turnout in every polling station) is made available to every polling agent of parties.
Meanwhile, election officials said the full team of EC headed by Gyanesh Kumar, during their interaction with political party representatives, sought their active participation at all levels for conduct of free, fair and peaceful polls in the state, and also put polling agents at all booths. Bihar chief electoral officer Vinod Singh Gunjiyal and other state officers were also present.
Officials said the parties also asked the EC to conduct polls in fewer phases and also appreciated the move to restrict the number of voters per polling station to 1,200.
The parties which had interactions with the EC included BJP, JD(U), BSP, RJD, AAP, Congress, CPI(M), National People's Party, CPI(ML)-L, Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party, and Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas).
Source: HindustanTimes
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