Kannur (Kerala) [India], July 14 : Congress leader Shama Mohamed on Monday slammed the Election Commission of India and asked the electoral body to hold a press conference to address their recent claim related to the presence of foreign nationals in the Bihar voter list.
A large number of individuals from Nepal, Bangladesh and Myanmar have been found by Booth Level Officers (BLOs) with Aadhaar cards, domicile certificates and ration cards during house-to-house visits carried out as part of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar, according to sources.
While speaking to ANI, Shama Mohamed asked why the ECI doesn't hold a press conference over the issue, stating that the Supreme Court has clearly said that the Election Commission has no right to decide the "citizenship" of Indians in India.
"Why doesn't the Election Commission hold a press conference about all these Bangladeshis or Rohingyas, they claim were in the voter list of Bihar?... The Supreme Court clearly says that the EC has no right to decide on the citizenship of Indians in India. It is the right of the Home Ministry", Shama Mohamed told ANI.
She asserted that the National Democratic Alliance won 30 seats in the Lok Sabha elections, which became "null and void" due to ECI's claim of "Rohingyas and Bangladeshis" in the Bihar voter list.
"Last year, the NDA won 30 seats in the Lok Sabha, so that all becomes null and void because they keep saying that there are Rohingyas and Bangladeshis in the voter list... We want to hear the truth", Mohamed said.
ECI sources say that after a proper enquiry to be conducted from 1 Aug till 30 Aug, if found true, such names shall not be included in the final list to be published on 30 Sep 2025.
Meanwhile, the Election Commission of India (ECI) said till Saturday evening 80.11 per cent of electors in Bihar submitted their forms, adding that the commission is moving ahead to complete the collection of Enumeration Forms (EFs) before the stipulated time, July 25.
Bihar will have assembly polls later in the year.