Congress Sounds Alert: Questions SIR Process In Jharkhand Amid Fear Of 10 Million Voters Exclusions

Ranchi: The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process is set to begin in Jharkhand on June 30. Ahead of this, Jharkhand Congress in-charge K. Raju has claimed that the names of one crore people in the state will be removed from the electoral rolls. He stated that the number of voters removed in Jharkhand would exceed that of West Bengal.

Failure to map 300–500 voters per booth?

Speaking to a YouTube channel, Congress in-charge K. Raju stated that mapping could not be completed for 40,000 voters in individual assembly constituencies. In some constituencies, mapping for as many as 60,000 voters remained incomplete; this means their details could not be cross-verified with the 2003 electoral roll. He noted that across all assembly constituencies in the state, 300 to 500 voters per booth remain unmapped—a matter of serious concern.

How many voters are likely to be removed under ASDD?

K. Raju explained that once the SIR process begins, documents will be sought from voters whose details could not be mapped. If they fail to submit the required documents properly, their names will be removed from the voter list. He mentioned that approximately 6.5 million (65 lakh) voters remain unmapped. Subsequently, during the SIR process, names falling under the ASDD categories—Absent, Shifted, Dead, and Duplicate—will be removed. Consequently, another 3 to 3.5 million voters are likely to be struck off the list. Thus, there is a possibility that a total of around one crore voters in Jharkhand could be removed during the SIR process.

Removal of 10 million voters inevitable under SIR?

Congress in-charge K. Raju claimed that the removal of approximately 10 million (one crore) voters in Jharkhand through the SIR process is inevitable. He warned that if the unmapped voters fail to submit the necessary documents to the Election Commission on time, the number of voters removed in Jharkhand will surpass that of West Bengal. He stated that, anticipating this, the Congress party has been appointing and training BLAs over the past four to five months to ensure that the names of eligible voters are not removed from the electoral rolls.

Over 67,000 BLAs appointed by various parties in Jharkhand?

Meanwhile, ahead of the commencement of the SIR process, various political parties in Jharkhand are actively appointing and training BLAs. According to information from the State Chief Electoral Officer's office, more than 76,000 BLAs have been appointed so far by parties including the BJP, Congress, JMM, RJD, and others. Specifically, the BJP has appointed 26,264 BLAs, Congress 18,007, JMM 16,956, AJSU Party 3,802, and RJD 2,759.