Patna (Bihar) [India], November 7 (HBTV): Chhattisgarh BJP MLA Bhawna Bohra has welcomed the second phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists being conducted across 12 States and Union Territories, describing it as a ‘filtering process to strengthen democracy’.
Welcoming the Election Commission’s decision, Bohra said, ‘This is the process of the Election Commission. The way the SIR campaign has been started in Bihar and 12 other states is a very good thing. This is definitely a filtering process which will strengthen democracy.’
‘It will also be implemented in Chhattisgarh very soon; therefore, this is definitely a very welcome step taken through the Election Commission,’ she added.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) will conduct the second phase of the SIR exercise across 12 States and Union Territories, with the final voter list set to be published on February 7, 2026, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar announced on Monday.
Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, CEC Kumar said the exercise will cover Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Madhya Pradesh, Puducherry, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal.
However, opposition parties in several states have opposed the move. Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Abhishek Banerjee alleged that the first phase of the SIR exercise in Bihar was aimed at excluding genuine voters from the electoral roll. He warned that if the voting rights of legitimate voters were taken away in West Bengal, one lakh people would gherao the Election Commission’s office in New Delhi.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan also criticised the SIR exercise, calling it ‘a direct challenge to the democratic process’ and urged the Election Commission to refrain from actions that ‘undermine its own credibility’.
Meanwhile, commenting on Bihar’s political developments, Bohra took a dig at the Opposition’s recently released manifesto, titled Bihar Ka Tejashwi Pran.
She said, ‘Everyone has seen how Tejashwi Yadav suddenly made announcements on stage yesterday in front of Rahul Gandhi, which made Rahul uncomfortable. They have named their manifesto Tejashwi Sankalp Patra. But how can there be a manifesto for any particular person?’
‘We are in a democracy; we certainly have the right to express our views, but when it comes to the people, especially in election manifestos, it is for the people. From this, we can see that whether it is Congress or RJD, both have become parties centred around a particular individual,’ she added.
The Opposition alliance in Bihar released its manifesto promising to enact a law within 20 days of forming the government to provide a government job to one member of every family in the state.
The Bihar Assembly elections will be held in two phases on November 6 and 11, with the results scheduled to be declared on November 14.
(ANI)