Bihar is grappling with a controversy regarding its voter rolls in the run-up to the 2025 Assembly elections. The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) has prompted accusations of irregularities, with reported issues such as deceased individuals included and living citizens omitted. Tejashwi Yadav, the RJD’s CM candidate, has raised concerns stating that his name is not in the draft voter list. He also mentioned he had filled the enumeration form. He has questioned how he would be able to contest the upcoming assembly elections. Janata Dal (United) has criticized Yadav’s statements, alleging that he is misinforming the public. Addressing the press, Tejashwi emphasized that his name was missing and that his EPIC number did not yield any results in the system. The Patna district administration clarified that Yadav’s name is registered, however his polling station and serial number have been changed. In response, Yadav has suggested a broader conspiracy to manipulate the voter list. JDU’s spokesperson, Neeraj Kumar, has accused Yadav of political deception. The Election Commission has refuted Yadav’s claims, confirming his name’s inclusion. The issue is contributing to a tense political environment. The draft electoral roll is now live, with a small number of submitted documents. The SIR is a verification process that enables challenges to be filed. The last comprehensive revision was carried out in 2003.
