Bihar Elections: Tejashwi Yadav’s Voter Roll Dispute and Accusations of Fraud

Political tensions are rising in Bihar ahead of the 2025 Assembly elections, fueled by accusations related to the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) Electoral Roll. Critics have pointed out discrepancies, including the alleged inclusion of deceased individuals and the exclusion of living voters. A prominent figure in the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Tejashwi Yadav, has claimed his name is absent from the draft voter list, despite completing the enumeration form. He questioned how he would run in the upcoming elections. Janata Dal (United) countered these claims, accusing Yadav of misleading the public. At a press conference, Yadav reiterated his claim and noted the absence of his information even after providing his EPIC number. The Patna district administration responded by stating that Yadav’s name is present, but his polling details have been altered. Yadav expressed concerns about the extent of these changes, suggesting a possible plot to remove voters from the rolls. JDU’s spokesperson, Neeraj Kumar, accused Tejashwi Yadav of being a “political fraud”. The Election Commission (ECI) has denied these allegations, clarifying that Yadav’s name is listed in the draft roll. Yadav has not yet commented on the ECI’s response. The controversy has added to the already charged political atmosphere in Bihar, particularly with the elections approaching. Bihar’s draft electoral roll has gone live, with a minority of the 7.23 crore applicants submitting documents. The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process is designed to verify the voter list in Bihar, in preparation for the upcoming elections. The Chief Electoral Officer of Bihar and 243 Electoral Officers will invite the voter or any recognised political party to file their objections regarding any discrepancies in the electoral roll. The objections can be made from 1st August to 1st September 2025. ECI issued instructions for conducting Special Intensive Revision exercise in Bihar on 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. The voters can check their details at ECI website.