CPI (ML) General Secretary Comrade Dipankar Bhattacharya addressed a press conference in Patna on July 15 and raised serious concerns about the ongoing Special Summary Revision (SIR) in Bihar. He stated that in Delhi, the Election Commission had assured that they had enough BLOs and volunteers. Two demands were made – each BLO would visit every household three times and two forms would be given to every voter, one to be filled and returned, and the other to be kept.
He said that a third of the timeline has passed, and reports clearly show that in many places, no BLO has visited at all. Very few people have received even one form. What is going on is a dangerous numbers game and utter chaos, he said.
BLOs are under pressure. One BLO has died under this pressure. Many BLOs say they do not even have their own documents. A BDO resigned citing harassment. Action is being taken against BLOs who speak out. Action was taken against Ajit Anjum. “This campaign is being carried out by terrorising people. Why is such an atmosphere of fear being created?” asked Com. Dipankar.
He questioned how suddenly, as per "sources", people from Bangladesh, Myanmar and Nepal have appeared in Bihar. He termed it a lie and asked whether there were any such complaints during the 2024 elections based on the voter list. He pointed out that Musahars found in Bihar villages are now being labelled as Burmese. Migrant labourers and Muslims from Bihar are being called Bangladeshis.
Com. Dipankar cited the 2019 Election Commission report to Parliament which stated that between 2016–2019 there were no confirmed foreign voters, only three complaints in 2018. So how have foreigners suddenly appeared in Bihar in 2025?
He said that the poor in Bihar do not have the documents that are being asked for. The only documents they can possibly obtain are residential and caste certificates – and even those are not being issued. Documents like Aadhaar, ration card and voter ID are not being accepted by the Commission, despite Supreme Court guidelines. This means that the names of lakhs of Biharis are bound to be deleted from the rolls.
The power given to EROs to make decisions based on local verification lacks transparency. He said that this is a complete attempt to steal the election. “That’s why people in Bihar have begun chanting – Chunav Chor, Gaddi Chhor [Election thieves, vacate the throne],” he said.
He also pointed to the growing lawlessness. “Every day there is murder, rape, and no justice. Where criminals and corrupt rule, women are committing suicide due to loan pressures. This election is an election to change the government. An atmosphere of anarchy is being deliberately created. It must be corrected,” he said.
He condemned the insult of Tushar Gandhi in Champaran, calling it shameful that Gandhi's great-grandson was labelled an outsider. “Tomorrow they may even call him a Bangladeshi. Why is there so much fear of truth?” he asked, blaming the BJP for trying to create a poisonous political environment in Bihar. He further stated that every voter's right must be guaranteed.
Taking a jibe at NDA’s promise of one crore jobs from 2025 to 2030, Com. Dipankar said, “First, the Modi government should answer what happened to the promise of 2 crore jobs every year.”
Freedom from Debt Conference And Right to Shelter Campaign
AIPWA General Secretary Meena Tiwari said that the condition of women in Bihar is worsening. Poverty is pushing women into unbearable debt. “The government talks to Jeevika groups but does nothing about the brutal loan recoveries,” she said.
She highlighted that microfinance companies have flooded rural Bihar. To repay one loan, women are forced to take a second or third. “In one village, there are as many as 18 such companies. The pressure of instalment recovery is so high that women are committing suicide or migrating,” she said. She announced that a Karza Mukti [Debt Liberation] Conference will be held in Patna on July 31.
MLC Shashi Yadav said that violence against daughters is increasing. Women are facing major issues in voter list verification, especially those unmarried after 2003.
She criticised the government for ignoring scheme workers. “Cooks are working for only ₹1650 per month. The conditions of Jeevika, ASHA and Anganwadi workers are terrible. The contributory system in Jeevika has still not been abolished,” she said.
She announced that on June 30, there will be a right to shelter campaign in the Legislative Council against the eviction of the poor. “All these sections will unite in this election,” she concluded.
