Congress alleges deliberate removal of Dalit, Muslim women voters from electoral rolls in Bihar

New Delhi, Oct 5 (IANS) The Congress, on Sunday, alleged that the Election Commission (EC) had deliberately targeted the Dalit and Muslim women voters, whose names have been dropped from the electoral rolls during the recently held Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in poll-bound Bihar.

Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, All India Mahila Congress President, Alka Lamba, has revealed that 22.7 lakh women voters' names had been removed from the electoral rolls.

She said that most of these voters were removed in six districts.

Tracking the pattern, she added that 60 constituencies in six districts have been targeted for the deletion of voters' names.

Lamba said that during 2020 Bihar Assembly elections, it was a close political contest between the Mahagathbandhan and the NDA in these seats, adding that the "voters' names were deleted under a well-planned conspiracy to tilt the balance in NDA's favour".

The All India Mahila Congress President reaffirmed her party's commitment against the vote theft in Bihar.

"About 23 lakh women and 15 lakh male voters’ names had been deleted during the recent SIR exercise, aimed solely at denying the right to vote to those whom the BJP fears will vote against it," she said.

Questioning the logic of removing the voters' names at this stage by declaring them bogus, Lamba asked, "by this argument, shouldn't the 2024 parliamentary elections in these areas be cancelled and conducted once again?"

Reaffirming her party's stance against the SIR, she said that on October 15, the party will submit five crore signatures to the EC against vote theft in the country.

The All India Mahila Congress President also condemned the alleged refusal by a hospital at Jaunpur in Uttar Pradesh to treat a pregnant Muslim woman.

--IANS

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