Dangerous and bizarre: Singhvi alleges voter suppression in Bihar, flags EC’s verification process in Supreme Court

Congress leader and senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi on Saturday termed the ongoing voter list verification process in Bihar by the Election Commission of India (ECI) as “dangerous and bizarre.”

Highlighting the INDIA alliance’s concerns, Singhvi, who raised several critical points before the Supreme Court, emphasized that the ECI’s approach could lead to the disenfranchisement of millions of voters.

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Addressing a press conference today, Singhvi said the EC’s decision to categorize voters based on their inclusion in the 2003 electoral roll—labeling those added after 2003 as “suspect” and requiring them to prove citizenship—is an arbitrary and legally questionable move.

“The Election Commission has stated that it will not touch the names of those who were on the voter list before 2003, but anyone added after 2003 will be placed in a ‘suspect category,'” Singhvi stated.

He explained that voters in this suspect category would be divided into three groups and asked to submit specific documents, such as birth certificates, to prove citizenship. Failure to do so could lead to their names being removed from the electoral rolls.

Singhvi argued that the EC is overstepping its constitutional mandate by attempting to determine citizenship status through an administrative order without any legislative sanction. “The Election Commission does not have the authority to examine or determine citizenship,” he stressed.

Citing a Supreme Court judgment, Singhvi pointed out that voters who have been on the electoral rolls for years cannot be removed without due judicial process. He asserted that the EC’s current actions violate this fundamental principle.

Expressing deep concern that nearly 2 crore voters in Bihar could be disenfranchised out of a total of approximately 5 crore registered voters, Singhvi questioned, “If 2 crore voters are barred from voting or removed from the list, what kind of election are we looking at?”

He underscored the critical importance of ensuring a level playing field in the democratic process.

The Supreme Court’s ruling on the matter is expected to have far-reaching implications for voter rights and the integrity of the electoral process in Bihar.

The top court recently heard a plea filed by the INDIA alliance regarding the Bihar voter list verification process, during which Singhvi represented the alliance and outlined their legal and constitutional concerns about the EC’s approach.