New Delhi: Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra Wednesday took a dig at the Election Commission over the ongoing special intensive revision exercise in Bihar, saying more and more bizarre cases are emerging from the state.
An exercise which the Election Commission has put its stamp on, which says it is comprehensive and it is accurate. Why don’t you decide for yourself? We have in the district of Samastipur an online application in the name of Donald Trump, she said.
In a video statement shared on X, the MP from Krishnanagar in West Bengal, said, The Election Commission claims to have carried out a Special Intensive Review, an SIR, which we have maintained from the beginning is nothing but an exercise in mass disenfranchisement. 65 lakh voters have been deleted, and the government refuses to have a discussion on this.
In the midst of all of this, every day, more and more bizarre cases emerge from Bihar as part of this SIR exercise, she added.
On the application in the name of Trump, she said, the request was made 29th of July through the government portal from Mohiuddin Nagar block, and it’s using a photo of Donald Trump and listing a local address in Hassanpur village in Mohiuddin Nagar.
The district administration of Samastipur has said an FIR has been filed against the person who applied for the residence certificate using Trump’s photo.
This certificate has not been issued, but someone deliberately applied for it, and during the scrutiny, it was found to be false. An FIR has also been filed regarding this, and legal action is being taken. No such person will be spared, said a post on the official X account of the Samastipur administration.
Moitra quoted another example from Khagaria of Bihar.
The second, which is even better, is in Khagaria district. Officials have found online applications, resident certificate applications in the name of Lord Ram, Goddess Sita and even a crow, she said.
These forms include mythical or animal photos and clearly made-up names and addresses. The Lord Ram application lists Raja Dashrath and Maa Kaushalya as the parents… So this is the state of the SIR application. These are just two or three instances, she said.
The Opposition has been protesting against the revision exercise, alleging it was aimed at disenfranchising voters in Bihar ahead of the assembly elections.
This is an intensive review, which is carried out by no less than the Election Commission of India, which insists to everybody that this exercise is foolproof and is completely accurate. Decide for yourself. The circus continues, Moitra said.
PTI
