Patna, Oct 4 (NationPress) Following a meeting with Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar in Patna, the CPI-ML has expressed numerous concerns and suggestions regarding the current electoral procedures and the newly released voter list as part of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR).

CPI-ML central committee member Santosh Sahani stated that the party is demanding transparency on several significant matters.

“The final SIR list has been published. Initially, approximately 65 lakh names were removed in the draft, and now an additional 3.66 lakh names have been eliminated. We are unclear about the criteria used for these removals. We urge the Election Commission to provide a booth-wise list of these deleted voters with explicit details and explanations, similar to what was done previously for the 65 lakh voters following the Supreme Court’s directive,” Sahani remarked.

He further noted the inclusion of nearly 21 lakh new voters in the final list.

“This number encompasses both entirely new voters and those reinstated after filing claims or objections. We request a separate booth-wise list for the old voters whose names were inappropriately deleted and subsequently restored,” he added.

Addressing discrepancies, Sahani pointed out: “According to the Bihar caste survey, the male-to-female ratio in the state is 914, yet the SIR indicates it as 892. This suggests a decline in female voters, and we seek clarification regarding this discrepancy.”

The CPI-ML has also raised alarms over reports indicating that 6,000 individuals have had their citizenship status labeled as suspicious.

“If this information is accurate, the names and reasons should be disclosed,” Sahani insisted.

The party additionally proposed that the Bihar Assembly elections be conducted in just two phases, deeming multi-phase elections “burdensome, costly, and exhausting, particularly for smaller parties.”

Regarding administrative roles, CPI-ML accused the authorities of bias in the appointment of presiding officers.

“We have received reports from various districts, including Bhojpur, indicating that senior officials from Muslim, Dalit, or marginalized communities are being overlooked, while those from socially dominant backgrounds are being appointed as presiding officers. We demand immediate action to cease such practices,” Sahani asserted.

The party also emphasized the necessity of providing polling agents with Form 17C for security and ensuring that voting booths for Dalit, Muslim, and backward communities are situated within their localities to facilitate fair and impartial voting.