Tejashwi Yadav calls 'chakka jam' on July 9 over Bihar voter list revision

Tejashwi Yadav accuses NDA of plotting to deny voting rights to weaker sections; urges Bihar residents to join July 9 road blockade against special electoral roll revision

Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav on Friday announced that the opposition Mahagathbandhan in Bihar, led by his party, will organise road blockades next week to protest against the special intensive revision of the electoral rolls taking place in the state.

 

The leader of the opposition announced the "chakka jam on July 9" through a live video on Facebook. This came shortly after he visited the Election Commission office in Patna, where he led a delegation representing the Mahagathbandhan.

 

Yadav alleged that the revision exercise was a deliberate attempt to deny voting rights to disadvantaged communities.

 

"We have put on record our objections against the special intensive revision, which is a conspiracy to deprive weaker sections of their right to vote. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar are afraid that the NDA might lose the upcoming assembly polls," he said. 

Challenge to the Election Commission

He further challenged the Election Commission (EC) to be transparent in the process.  "We have challenged the EC to develop a dashboard with regular updates on the voters' list revision. If they are really confident of completing the exercise, which involves 8 crore voters, in less than a month, they must not shy away from sharing regular updates," he added.

 

Yadav mentioned that although the opposition had expressed its concerns, officials in Patna had limited powers: "The opposition has shared its concerns with the EC, but the officers in Patna 'are not involved in any decision-making. And everybody knows who is calling the shots," said the RJD leader. 

Call for public participation

He also appealed to the people of Bihar to remain alert against the special intensive revision of the electoral rolls. "We call upon the people of Bihar to remain alert. We are with them and on July 9, Mahagathbandhan will hold a chakka jam in protest against this conspiracy to favour the BJP-led coalition," said Yadav.

 

Earlier in the day, Yadav attended the party’s national executive meeting and also called on people to “come in large numbers to tomorrow’s national council of the RJD, where Lalu Prasad will be officially declared re-elected as the national president.”

 

The Bihar Assembly elections are anticipated to take place later this year, but the ECI has not yet announced an official date.