As Bihar gears up for its 2025 Assembly elections, a fresh controversy has emerged, focusing on the integrity of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) Electoral Roll. The process has been plagued by allegations of errors, including deceased individuals being listed as voters and registered voters being excluded. Tejashwi Yadav, the RJD’s CM candidate, brought forth the issue by alleging his name was missing from the Election Commission’s draft voter list, even after submitting the enumeration form. The JDU swiftly reacted, accusing Yadav of attempting to mislead the public. Yadav addressed a press conference in Patna, reiterating that his name was absent from the electoral roll, despite providing his EPIC number. The Patna district administration responded by stating that Yadav’s name is indeed on the list, though his polling station and serial number had changed. Yadav questioned the alterations and expressed concern that voters were being intentionally removed from the rolls. JDU’s Neeraj Kumar strongly criticized Yadav’s actions, labeling him a ‘political fraud.’ The Election Commission quickly refuted Yadav’s claims, confirming that his name is present in the draft electoral roll. This disagreement has increased political tension in Bihar, particularly given the approaching elections. The SIR process aims to ensure the accuracy and transparency of the voter list, with provisions for objections to be filed between August 1st and September 1st, 2025.
