New Delhi, Aug 6 (NationPress) The Election Commission (EC) on Wednesday dismissed allegations made by AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi and Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala regarding supposed discrepancies in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Bihar's electoral rolls, advising them to express their grievances through the appropriate channels.

This response from the EC follows the claims from these prominent political figures who labeled the omission of 65 lakh names from the provisional voter list as an 'assault on constitutional democracy', suggesting that this was a calculated move to favor a specific political entity.

The provisional electoral rolls for Bihar were released by the Election Commission on August 1, inviting feedback and complaints from parties and voters within a designated timeframe. However, nearly a week has elapsed without any formal complaints from the parties, despite their vocal concerns.

On Wednesday, Owaisi expressed his concerns on social media platform X, stating: “The outcome of Bihar's SIR is evident — the names of 56 lakh individuals have been removed.”

Owaisi insinuated that the voter list had been manipulated, claiming that most of the removed names belonged to districts with significant Muslim populations, where individuals often migrate for employment. He emphasized that such a process adversely affects vulnerable Indians who rely solely on their voting rights.

Surjewala, a Congress MP and member of the Congress Working Committee, condemned the silence during these critical times, urging people to act as defenders of democracy.

“This is undeniable evidence that the entire process of 'electoral roll revision' in Bihar is fraudulent and a strategy to disenfranchise voters. The EC's decision to remove 65,00,000 voters from Bihar represents a direct assault on electoral democracy. This deception is now apparent to everyone, which is what Congress and Mr. Rahul Gandhi are actively opposing,” he remarked on X, referencing a report about a certificate issued in the state under the name 'Donald Trump'.

It's important to note that the EC released the draft rolls containing 7.24 million electors out of the 7.89 million existing voters following an extensive enumeration process. Approximately 65 lakh voters were excluded from the draft rolls, including 22 lakh deceased electors (2.83%), 36 lakh who had relocated permanently or were untraceable (4.59%), and 7 lakh who were registered in multiple locations (0.89%), according to the EC’s data.

Since the draft electoral rolls for Bihar were published on August 1, the Election Commission has been encouraging political parties to submit their complaints regarding alleged discrepancies in the verification process. However, as of now, none have filed any objections.

“Please submit your claims and objections to amend any inaccuracies in the draft Electoral Roll of Bihar published on August 1. Up to this point, not even one claim or objection has been lodged by any political party,” stated the EC in an announcement this morning.