Chaos in Bihar Assembly: Opposition MLAs Flip Chairs, Clash With Marshals Over Voter List Debate
Patna(The Uttam Hindu): The Bihar Assembly witnessed high drama and chaos on Tuesday as opposition MLAs clashed with marshals, overturned chairs, and disrupted proceedings over the demand for a discussion on the voter list revision.
As soon as the monsoon session resumed, opposition legislators stormed into the well of the House, raising slogans and demanding a debate on the special intensive revision (SIR) of the electoral roll. Amid the uproar, some MLAs reportedly tried to overturn the reporting table, leading to a physical scuffle with the assembly marshals. In the scuffle, a marshal’s clothes were torn, further escalating tensions inside the House.
Despite repeated warnings by Assembly Speaker Nand Kishore Yadav to maintain order, the protests continued, forcing multiple adjournments of the session. Yadav reminded the opposition that they had been given an opportunity to speak earlier but failed to utilize it, prompting further outrage.
Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav arrived in the Assembly wearing a black kurta as a mark of protest. He accused the government of undermining democracy in Bihar, saying,
“The Election Commission’s process is flawed. Names of genuine voters are being removed from the electoral rolls. If voters are denied their right to vote, how can we claim to live in a democratic country?”
Yadav demanded that the advisory committee convene a meeting to discuss the issue. He warned that if such a debate cannot take place in the “temple of democracy,” then democracy in Bihar is truly at risk. The uproar over voter list revision has heightened political tensions in the state, raising questions about the upcoming elections and the fairness of the electoral process.