The INDIA bloc in Bihar welcomed the Supreme Court’s interim order directing the Election Commission to publish by 19 August the list of 65 lakh voters excluded from the electoral roll after the month-long Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists in the state, along with the reasons for their exclusion.
The Opposition leaders said the interim order vindicates some of the basic objections and apprehensions they raised from the very beginning when the SIR was launched suddenly.
Leader of the Opposition in the Bihar Assembly, Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, said that this is a victory for the people, for democracy, and faith in the country’s Constitution.
He thanked the people of Bihar for having confidence in his leadership and supporting the INDIA bloc’s united struggle from the streets to the House to safeguard the democratic rights of every Indian.
He said, “This is just an interim order. The hearing will continue. We will follow it closely and continue our effort to defeat every conspiracy to snatch people’s voting rights.”
Bihar Congress President Rajesh Ram said that the apex court’s “historic interim order” is a decisive step towards restoring the rights of the 65 lakh voters who were “unlawfully removed from the electoral rolls.”
He said, “This is not just a court order, but a major step in defending democratic values — the conspiracy to hide the truth has now been exposed. This is a victory for the people of Bihar and the Constitution.”
“We have always maintained that removing names from the voter list without valid reasons amounts to murder of democracy. Today, the Supreme Court has upheld the democratic values of the people of Bihar,” he added.
He also urged the people of Bihar that all affected voters must file their claims and contribute to protecting democracy.
CPI (ML) General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya welcomed the Supreme Court’s interim order on the SIR in Bihar, saying it rejects the Election Commission’s stubborn refusal to consider the Supreme Court’s suggestions and addresses three core concerns regarding the practical implementation of the drive.
He said, “The interim order directs the EC to provide clear reasons for all deletions, make the information public and accessible to all electors, and accept Aadhaar as a valid supporting document. It also vindicates some of the basic objections and apprehensions we have raised from day one since following the sudden launch of the SIR.”