Citizenship, Votes, and Power: Owaisi’s Stand Could Reshape Bihar’s Poll Math

Image Source : The Indian Express

As Bihar is gearing up for its next Assembly election, AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi has attacked the Election Commission of India (ECI) heavily for conducting a "backdoor NRC" by conducting a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, he claimed. He also ruled out the chance of joining the INDIA alliance, which indicates AIMIM's preference to contest alone.

Key Highlights:

Owaisi rebutted the ECI jurisdiction to rule on citizenship, accusing the SIR exercise of disfranchising thousands.
He referenced the 2003 overhaul as ineffective and demanded openness on how many foreign nationals were screened at the time.
AIMIM will focus its campaign in the Seemanchal region, where it has a strong support base.

Political Positioning

Owaisi rejected the INDIA bloc, calling it repressive of new leadership and marginal voices.
AIMIM Bihar president Akhtarul Iman suggested the establishment of a third front, which Owaisi is contemplating seriously.
The party aims to be the voice of the poor and oppressed and thus become an alternative against NDA and INDIA parties.

Legal and Electoral Implications:

The Supreme Court will soon rule on challenges to the SIR process on the basis of threats to voters' rights and constitutional safeguards.
Critics argue that the amendment could disproportionately affect marginalized communities who lack documents.

Prospects:

With elections to be held in October or November, AIMIM's lone fight can alter equations in key constituencies.
The issue of revising the voters list can be an overriding theme of the campaign discussion.

Sources: ANI, Deccan Chronicle, Economic Times, India Today, News Nation.