UMPIRE'S CALL

Bihar's poll roll revision raises the question whether the Election Commission has the will to act without fear or favour

- KANU SARDA

At the heart of India's electoral system stands the Election Commission of India. Described by the Supreme Court as a 'sentinel on the qui vive' (watchful guardian), it is synonymous with free and fair elections. But now it finds itself in the eye of a storm. In Bihar, where every vote is a contest of caste and conviction, an unprecedented voter roll revision has triggered allegations, anxieties and fundamental questions about the sanctity of the institution.

What was meant to be a routine cleanup of Bihar's voter rolls has turned into a political slugfest. The Election Commission's special drive to remove duplicate, fake or deceased names, while adding genuine voters, has sparked a firestorm of charges. The principal opposition parties in the state, the Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Congress, allege that the timing and scale of the exercise are no coincidence, warning that possibly lakhs of names in opposition strongholds could be wiped off overnight. The ruling NDA insists it is business as usual, citing the Representation of the People Act and the need for accurate rolls ahead of the upcoming assembly elections.

Bihar's heated roll revision strikes at the very promise enshrined in Article 326 of the Constitution: the guarantee of universal adult suffrage. This article affirms that every Indian citizen above 18 has the right to vote unless disqualified by law on clearly defined grounds.