New Delhi: Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leader Amar Patnaik Tuesday said his party would “welcome” the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls but warned that if the exercise was carried out in a manner leading to “disenfranchisement of rightful voters”, the BJD would “oppose it tooth and nail”.
His reaction came amidst the INDIA bloc leaders protesting over the SIR of electoral rolls in Bihar.
“This is an exercise which is being conducted by the Election Commission (EC) of India. We believe that the Commission, as a constitutional authority entrusted with electoral roll revision, will do it fairly and we will cooperate. The moment it is unfair, we will oppose it,” Patnaik told reporters after meeting EC officials.
The BJD MP said the EC must ensure that no eligible voter is left out in the process.
“If it is done or implemented hurriedly, resulting in the disempowerment and disenfranchisement of rightful electors, then we will oppose it till the very last man who should be included,” he said.
Patnaik also accused the Commission of avoiding accountability by shifting the onus of proof onto political parties.
“Why should political parties give an affidavit? It is the data of EC, so if anyone who should give an affidavit, it should be the Election Commission itself,” he said, reacting to Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar serving a seven-day ultimatum on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to submit a signed affidavit to back his vote theft claims.
“The Election Commission has to give an affidavit that those whose names appeared twice or three times in the rolls did not actually vote. That evidence is only with them — the register of voters. It is not with any political party. Asking for affidavits from third parties is a huge eye wash,” he said.
Asked whether the BJD would coordinate with the opposition INDIA bloc on this issue, Patnaik maintained that his party had taken the lead independently.
“The Biju Janata Dal is the first political party which raised this issue significantly before the Election Commission, at least in Odisha. We did not seek support from other political parties.
“We are a popular regional party with independent thinking. We will take it to its logical conclusion,” he said.
