New Delhi, Aug 14 (PTI) BJP president J P Nadda on Thursday said the Congress tried every “trick and deceit” to stop Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar but it had to face disappointment in the Supreme Court.

Losing the “case and the plot” yet again, the opposition party is now clutching at non-issues and parading them as "moral victories" in sheer desperation, Nadda charged.

This came after Congress general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal hailed the apex court’s interim order in the SIR case, calling it a “massive victory for democracy”, and said it was a “huge message for the 'vote chors' who tried to use the SIR to distort the electoral process in Bihar”.

The Supreme Court on Thursday directed the Election Commission of India (ECI) to publish details of 65 lakh names deleted from the voters' list with reasons of non-inclusion to enhance transparency in the SIR of electoral roll in Bihar.

It also allowed people aggrieved by the deletion of their names to approach the poll officials along with their Aadhaar card.

In a post on X, Nadda, who is also a Union minister, said, “Congress tried every trick and deceit to stop SIR but they had to face disappointment in the Supreme Court today.” “Now, in sheer desperation, Congress is clutching at non-issues and parading them as 'moral victories'," he said.

The fact remains that all their canards are being rejected, exposed, and defeated one by one, the BJP chief said.

“Congress has yet again lost the case and lost the plot,” he added.

Commenting on the top court’s interim order, Venugopal said in a post on X, “The Hon’ble Supreme Court’s ruling on the Bihar SIR matter is a massive victory for democracy, and a huge message for the Vote Chors who tried to use the SIR to distort the electoral process in Bihar.” “The Court rejecting the ECI’s decision to not accept Aadhaar is also a major boost, since in a state like Bihar, Aadhaar is the most widely held document by the poor and marginalised,” he said.

“We see this as an important first step in our fight against the draconian and disastrous SIR process. Our fight to expose the ECI’s malpractices and complicity in vote rigging will continue with renewed vigour,” the Congress leader said.

Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said the Supreme Court upheld the Constitution of India in a "categorical, convincing, and courageous manner".

"It is a long struggle to rescue our Republic from the machinations of the PM and his drumbeaters. But today's verdict of the Supreme Court on the Bihar SIR issue is a beacon of hope. It is a gigantic first step," he said in a post on X. PTI PK PK KVK KVK

Transparency in voter roll deletions: publication of deleted names with reasons and Aadhaar based access to restoration. The Supreme Court ordered publication of names deleted during the Special Intensive Revision and required reasons for non inclusion, while allowing aggrieved persons to approach poll officials with Aadhaar as identity evidence, thereby emphasizing transparency in voter list management and providing an administrative route for restoration of names during the SIR process.