Bihar’s political landscape is heating up as the 2025 Assembly elections approach, with a new controversy surrounding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls. Critics are alleging inconsistencies, citing instances of deceased individuals appearing on the list and the exclusion of living voters. Tejashwi Yadav, the RJD’s CM candidate, has raised concerns, stating that his name is absent from the Election Commission’s draft voter list. He said he completed the enumeration form during the special revision of electoral rolls in Bihar, and questioned how he would participate in the elections. Janata Dal (United) responded with accusations of misleading the public. During a press conference in Patna, Tejashwi stated that his name was not present in the electoral roll despite his submission of the enumeration form. He also mentioned that his information was not found even with his EPIC number. The Patna district administration promptly clarified that Tejashwi’s name is indeed registered but that his polling station and serial number have been changed. Tejashwi then questioned the scale of these changes, implying a potential conspiracy to manipulate the voter list. JDU’s chief spokesperson, Neeraj Kumar, criticized Tejashwi, calling him a ‘political fraud’ for alleged misinformation. The Election Commission (ECI) immediately countered, terming the claims ‘false and factually incorrect.’ The ECI confirmed that Tejashwi’s name is included in the draft electoral roll. The political atmosphere in Bihar has intensified due to this issue. Bihar’s draft electoral roll was published on Friday, and only a fraction of the 7.23 crore applicants had submitted necessary documentation. The SIR process, currently underway in Bihar, is a comprehensive voter list verification initiative. The Chief Electoral Officer of Bihar, along with 243 Electoral Officers, will be accepting objections to any discrepancies in the electoral roll between August 1 and September 1, 2025. The objective of the ECI is to ensure that all eligible citizens are included in the electoral roll transparently. The last intensive revision in Bihar was performed in 2003. Voters can access their details on the ECI website.
