The Jharkhand Assembly on Tuesday passed a resolution opposing the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, amid an uproar on the third day of its monsoon session.

Earlier in the day, protesting against the SIR, MLAs of the ruling alliance entered the Well of the House.

Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislators also followed them into the Well, demanding a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the alleged encounter death case of Surya Hansda, a former BJP leader.

Congress leader and State Parliamentary Affairs Minister Radhakrishn Kishore moved the resolution in the House. The SIR could provide an advantage to the Central government, Mr. Kishore said.

“Given the sentiments of the House, and after consultation with the leader of the House Chief Minister Hemant Soren, I move a resolution on behalf of the INDIA (Indian National Developmental, Inclusive Alliance) bloc to oppose the SIR of electoral rolls by the Election Commission of India,” Mr. Kishore said.

The SIR was an attempt to weaken parliamentary democracy, and deprive the poor and downtrodden, he said.

“The demography is being changed in a planned manner in each and every Assembly constituency,” BJP State president and the Leader of the Opposition in the Jharkhand Assembly Babulal Marandi said. Criticising the ruling parties for opposing the SIR, Mr. Marandi said they should clarify what should be done, if not the SIR.

“If infiltration is not stopped, it will become difficult for tribals to choose their own MPs and MLAs in the coming times. They are protesting against the SIR only to protect the vote bank of Bangladeshi infiltrators,” Mr. Marandi said.

It was not right to oppose the SIR, the BJP’s chief whip Naveen Jaiswal added. Many voters were seen in Jharkhand during the elections, but not on other days, he alleged.

“The name of the right voter should remain in the voter list, and the name of the fake voter should be removed from the list — this is what the BJP is demanding,” Mr. Jaiswal said.

Speaking in the House, Mr. Marandi also raised the issue of the alleged death of Hansda in an encounter. “The brutal murder of Surya Hansda has shaken the entire tribal society. The BJP is continuously demanding that the investigation of this heinous crime should be conducted by the CBI and that the culprits should get the strictest possible punishment but the ruling party is trying to divert attention from this,” he said.

The Assembly held a special discussion on the damage to crops in excessive rainfall in the State, and the steps being taken by the government to provide relief to farmers.

Also tabled in the House were the Jharkhand State University Bill, 2025; the Jharkhand Professional Educational Institutions (Fee Regulation) Bill, 2025; the Jharkhand Coaching Centre (Control and Regulation) Bill, 2025; the Jharkhand Micro, Small and Medium (Special Exemption) Bill, 2025; and the Jharkhand Platform Based Gig Workers (Registration and Welfare) Bill, 2025.

Published - August 26, 2025 01:02 pm IST