After the first week of Parliament’s Monsoon Session was washed out due to a standoff over the Election Commission (EC)’s controversial Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar, with the Opposition pressing for a discussion on it, both Houses have taken up a special discussion on Operation Sindoor and the Pahalgam terror attack. These stories set the tone for the coverage of the crucial session by the Urdu dailies, which played up the abrupt exit of Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar on its opening day.

Referring to the continuing row over the EC’s Bihar SIR, the Hyderabad-based Siasat, in its July 29 leader, says that the EC is pushing its contentious drive amid apprehensions that lakhs of names of existing voters would be deleted from the list. It points out that the Supreme Court, while hearing a clutch of petitions challenging the SIR for being arbitrary and unconstitutional, had earlier suggested to the EC that it consider the Aadhaar, voter ID and ration card documents too for the exercise. The editorial says the EC, in its counter-affidavit, did not accept the inclusion of the three as proof for the exercise. “Now, the apex court, while declining to stay the publication of the draft electoral rolls for Bihar, has again asked the EC to continue to accept Aadhaar and voter ID for the SIR,” it notes.

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“The EC’s apparent unwillingness to accept the apex court’s suggestion reinforces the Opposition’s allegations that the Bihar SIR is aimed at targeting electors from certain groups,” the daily states, underlining the top court’s observation that the SIR should be aimed at ensuring “en masse inclusion” instead of “en masse exclusion”. The Opposition has alleged that the EC’s drive could disenfranchise lakhs of voters, especially those belonging to the Dalit, backward and minority communities.

The editorial notes that the EC has already indicated that about 65 lakh names from the existing 7.89 crore voters’ list could be deleted in the draft rolls. “This is a huge number, which could decide any election. If so many names are invalid, should past elections conducted on the basis of a list including them be held invalid? Should the 2024 Lok Sabha results be also rejected then? Would the EC roll back their outcomes? The poll body does not have answers to these questions — and all this is not possible,” the edit states. While the rolls should be updated in light of deaths and permanent migration of voters, the EC’s exercise to determine eligibility through citizenship proof is “unacceptable”, it says. “The EC must resolve these doubts, clear the air and accept the apex court’s suggestions.”

URDU TIMES

Commenting on Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar’s surprise resignation on the first day of the Monsoon Session, the Mumbai-based Urdu Times, in its July 24 editorial, points out that the V-P’s decision citing health concerns, which cut short his tenure by two years, has caused a stir. Dhankhar’s move came just after he presided over the proceedings of the Rajya Sabha as its Chairman on what turned out to be his last day. “Dhankhar has been no stranger to controversy. He had recurring face-offs with the Opposition, although at times he also asked questions of the government. He also had runs-ins with the judiciary, questioning the Supreme Court’s 2015 judgment to quash the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) Act,” the editorial notes.

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What precipitated the crisis leading to Dhankhar’s exit seemed to be the 63 Opposition MPs’ notice for removal of Justice Yashwant Varma, from whose Delhi house alleged cash was recovered, which the former announced in the House, the daily states. “This upstaged the government which wanted to initiate the impeachment move against Justice Varma in the Lok Sabha to score political points over judicial accountability,” it says.

The editorial notes that while sharing a stage with Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan at an event in Mumbai in December last year, Dhankhar asked him if any promises had been made to farmers and why these had not been fulfilled. He also told Chouhan that farmers were “suffering” and that they had continued to hold protests. “The V-P’s sudden resignation has raised several questions, with the government coming under a cloud of suspicion over it,” the edit states. Things have since moved at a fast pace, with the EC clearing the decks for holding the poll to elect the next V-P. “The BJP-RSS seem to be upset with Dhankhar and are looking to quickly ensure his successor,” it says, adding that Dhankhar, a former West Bengal governor, may meet the same fate as former Jammu and Kashmir governor Satyapal Malik, who also had a bitter parting with the government.

SIASAT

Flagging a spurt in criminal cases in Bihar ahead of the Assembly elections slated for later this year, Siasat, in its July 28 editorial, says that in addition to multiple killings in Patna and other districts, the state has recently seen an increase in atrocities against women, citing the alleged rape of an unconscious woman inside an ambulance in Bodh Gaya while she was being taken to a hospital after fainting during a Home Guard recruitment test. “This heinous incident reflects lawlessness in the state. However, Chief Minister and JD(U) president Nitish Kumar and his NDA ally BJP have continued to remain silent over these cases,” it says. “However, their junior ally Chirag Paswan, Union minister and LJP(RV) chief, has kept his guns trained on the Nitish government over the state’s law and order situation. On the Bodh Gaya outrage, he said he was sad that he was supporting a government which has completely failed to curb crimes.”

The editorial points out that there has been bad blood between Nitish and Chirag for a long time. Even in the 2020 Assembly polls, when he was not part of the NDA but still friendly towards the BJP, Chirag had put up his candidates against the JD(U) nominees across the state. This had damaged the JD(U)’s prospects, bringing down its tally, it says. “Chirag has been going after Nitish now, which could create trouble for the JD(U) at the hustings. There is a buzz that the BJP may be encouraging Chirag’s barbs at Nitish as it looks to undercut him in a bid to claim the chief ministerial position after the polls,” the edit claims.

The daily says the BJP could not openly checkmate Nitish as its Central government depends critically on the support of allies like the JD(U). “However, the Bihar polls would be a different ball game, where if the BJP succeeds in cutting Nitish down to size, it may claim the mantle of leadership. For his part, Chirag seems to believe that Nitish’s eclipse would result in his elevation to the centre stage of state politics,” it says. “During the initial phase of his current term, Nitish had alleged a similar game plan to undermine his party in the 2020 polls. He went on to dump the NDA to cross over to the RJD-led Mahagathbandhan. It is to be seen how things play out for Nitish as well as Chirag, with the Assembly poll results set to have a crucial bearing on their fortunes.”