With the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections approaching, controversy has erupted over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the state’s electoral roll. Allegations of inaccuracies have surfaced, including the presence of deceased individuals on the list and the exclusion of living voters. Tejashwi Yadav, the RJD’s CM candidate and the son of Lalu Prasad Yadav, has asserted that his name is not on the draft voter list. He stated he filled out the required enumeration form during the special revision process. In response, Janata Dal (United) accused Yadav of spreading misinformation. At a press conference in Patna, Yadav confirmed that his name was missing despite submitting the form. He also noted that his information wasn’t accessible using his EPIC number. The Patna district administration immediately clarified that Yadav’s name is indeed included but his polling station and serial number have been changed. JDU’s chief spokesperson, Neeraj Kumar, called Yadav a ‘political fraud’. The Election Commission refuted the claim, calling it ‘false and factually incorrect’, and stated that Yadav’s name is listed in the draft electoral roll. Yadav has yet to address the administration’s statement. The situation has heightened the already tense political climate. The draft electoral roll was released on Friday, with a minority of the 7.23 crore applicants providing necessary documents. The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the Electoral Roll is an initiative to verify the voter list. The Chief Electoral Officer of Bihar and 243 Electoral Officers will accept objections regarding discrepancies in the electoral roll. The period for filing objections is from August 1st to September 1st, 2025. The ECI issued instructions for the Special Intensive Revision exercise in Bihar on the 24th of last month. The objectives of the exercise were to ensure the inclusion of names of all eligible citizens in the electoral roll in a transparent manner. The last intensive revision for Bihar was conducted by the Commission in the year 2003. Voters can check their details on the ECI website.
Bihar Elections: Tejashwi Yadav Complains of Missing Voter Entry; ECI Responds, JDU Calls Out Deception
