Why is Shiv Sena Supporting ECI While Criticizing Opposition's Claims in Bihar?

Mumbai, July 10 (NationPress) Shiv Sena spokesperson Sanjay Nirupam on Thursday came to the defense of the Election Commission of India (ECI) amidst accusations of partiality in the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar. He accused the Opposition of intentionally trying to discredit the process for their political advantage.

His comments followed Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi's call for the ECI to “act according to law, not for BJP,” cautioning the NDA government led by PM Narendra Modi against “implementing the Maharashtra model of voter inflation” in Bihar.

Speaking to IANS, Sanjay Nirupam remarked, “The ECI is an autonomous constitutional body that operates under the Constitution of India. Updating voter lists prior to elections is a standard procedure. Just as it was conducted before general elections across the nation, this revision is also being executed ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections. The Opposition's ongoing attempts to tarnish the ECI's image by alleging bias are merely political maneuvers aimed at concealing their own shortcomings.”

Nirupam further asserted that Bihar is home to a significant number of illegal immigrants.

“It is widely recognized that over two crore Muslim illegal immigrants reside in Bihar unlawfully. Previous governments and regional parties have exploited them as a vote bank by granting them legal status. However, through the Special Intensive Revision process under Article 326, the ECI is identifying legitimate citizens and eliminating illegal voters. I fail to see how this process is unconstitutional or unlawful. Congress and RJD leaders are opposing it solely because they rely on the votes of Bangladeshi immigrants. They should be ashamed of attempting to secure electoral victories with the support of illegal immigrants,” he added.

Meanwhile, on Thursday, the Supreme Court urged the ECI to consider “in the interest of justice” the acceptance of documents such as Aadhaar, Voter ID, and Ration Cards for voter verification during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in Bihar.

A Bench of Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and Joymalya Bagchi was addressing a series of petitions arguing that if the June 26 decision by the poll body mandating SIR is not overturned, it could “arbitrarily” and “without due process” disenfranchise millions of voters from electing their representatives, thus undermining free and fair elections and democracy, which are essential components of the Constitution's basic structure.

The Dhulia-led Bench concluded that the petitions raised a “significant question” that pertains to the foundational aspects of the country's democratic framework.

Recognizing the need for a thorough examination of the issue, it directed the Election Commission to submit its counter-affidavit within a week and instructed the petitioners to file any rejoinder affidavit before July 28.

Following the arguments from both sides, the Justice Dhulia-led Bench outlined three questions for the Supreme Court's consideration: First, the authority of the ECI to conduct such a special intensive revision of electoral rolls; second, the legality and appropriateness of the procedures employed by the ECI; and third, the timeline for executing SIR just before the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections in November 2025.