The concerns over potentially disenfranchised voters, has ignited a serious discussion within the Opposition about a potential election boycott.
BY PC Bureau
July 23, 2025: Bihar’s Opposition, led by Tejashwi Yadav, is taking a “do or die” stand against the Election Commission’s (EC) Special Intensive Revision (SIr) exercise, even threatening to boycott the upcoming polls. The escalating tensions dramatically played out in the Assembly today, where a heated exchange saw Chief Minister Nitish Kumar publicly brand Tejashwi a “child,” forcing an early adjournment amidst accusations of unparliamentary language from both sides.
Tejashwi, sporting a black T-shirt as a symbol of protest against the EC’s revision, was making a statement on the contentious issue when Nitish abruptly intervened. “You are a child. You know nothing of matters like these. Only three days are left of this last session of the House. Let it conduct legislative business. Whatever rubbish you want to speak, you may do it to your heart’s content during elections,” Nitish snapped. He continued, “When his (Yadav’s) parents were chief ministers, they did nothing, neither for the women, nor for Muslims, nor any other section of society. The only woman who got something was his mother.”
The 75-year-old longest-serving CM, who has for most part been a BJP ally, except for two short-lived alliances with the RJD-Congress combine, further told Tejashwi that he left the Mahagathbandhan because the RJD leader was “not performing well” as the deputy CM. The situation escalated quickly, prompting Speaker Nand Kishor Yadav to adjourn the proceedings until 2 pm, a mere 30 minutes after the House had convened at 11 am, as members from both the opposition and ruling sides used unparliamentary language against each other.
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Earlier, the Speaker had permitted Tejashwi to voice his concerns. “We are not opposed to the special intensive revision per se, but how the Election Commission has been carrying out the exercise is objectionable. Why so late, when elections are just around the corner? They could have conducted it a few months earlier,” Tejashwi stated.
He further lambasted the EC’s demands for documents, asserting, “Only two-three per cent of voters in the state may have the documents that the EC is asking them to produce. What is this fear of fake voters? Does the EC mean to say fake voters have made Narendra Modi the PM and Nitish Kumar the CM?” Tejashwi also pointed out that “The EC has also not spoken of any foreign nationals in the voters’ list in its affidavit before the Supreme Court.”
Raising a critical concern for a significant portion of the electorate, Tejashwi demanded to know the fate of “nearly 4.5 crore residents of the state who are registered as voters, and come during elections from the places where they are eking out a living. The EC has threatened to strike off the names of people who were not found at their registered addresses.”
आज प्रेस वार्ता में हमने तथ्यों, तर्कों और आंकड़ों के साथ चुनाव आयोग से कुछ सवाल करते हुए कहा कि मतदाता सूची पुनरीक्षण अभियान की आड़ में बीजेपी और चुनाव आयोग मिलकर लोकतंत्र की सफाई नहीं, विपक्षी मतदाताओं की सफाई कर रहे है।
भारत निर्वाचन आयोग द्वारा कल जारी प्रेस विज्ञप्ति ने… pic.twitter.com/dQjMfHwIoE
— Tejashwi Yadav (@yadavtejashwi) July 23, 2025
Asked if the opposition could mutually decide to boycott the elections, Tejashwi told news agency IANS: “That too can be discussed. We will see what the people want and what everyone’s opinion is,” adding, “when everything has already been decided with dishonesty beforehand…then what’s the point of having an election?”
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The BJP in Bihar, however, responded by taunting Tejashwi for being scared of losing the election. Reiterating the stance taken by the Centre, Bihar BJP spokesperson Neeraj Kumar said the Election Commission of India (ECI) is an independent institution and the revision exercise is a “transparent process”. “Tejashwi Yadav’s statement of boycotting the elections reflects his frustration and fear of defeat. In a democracy, the voice of the people is supreme, and threatening to suppress it is undemocratic and irresponsible,” said Kumar. He added, “The Election Commission is an independent institution, and voter list revision is a transparent process, which Tejashwi is calling a conspiracy without any proof.”
The uproar in the Bihar assembly reflected the chaotic scenes from Parliament in New Delhi, where opposition parties staged massive protests against the SIR during the ongoing monsoon session. There were repeated disruptions in both Houses as they demanded a discussion on the issue, with the Rajya Sabha finally being adjourned and the Lok Sabha also adjourned for the third consecutive day. The Opposition’s firm stance underscores a potentially volatile political landscape in Bihar as elections approach.
