Patna, Aug 2, 2025
With just months to go before the Bihar Assembly elections, the voter list revision process has sparked a political uproar, especially after RJD Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav discovered his own name missing from the electoral rolls during a live Press conference in Patna.
In a dramatic moment, Yadav used the Election Commission of India’s mobile App to check his voter status by entering his name and EPIC number — only to find no results.
Displaying the outcome to the media, he remarked sarcastically: “My name is not in the voter list after the revision. It means I am not a resident of Bihar and I cannot contest the election.”
He added: “As I am currently in Bihar, I can physically verify my details. But what about the poor and migrant voters who are working outside the state? If their names don’t appear on the app, how will they know? Is the Election Commission is running a fake app?”
Tejashwi Yadav claimed that he had filled the form and the BLO had collected it from his residence.
The situation has escalated politically after the deletion of over 65 lakh voters — approximately 8.5 per cent of the total electorate — during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) 2025 by the Election Commission. Yadav alleged that 20,000 to 30,000 names have been removed in each Assembly constituency.
He also claimed that the names of RJD staff, a senior IAS officer and his wife were missing from the rolls, suggesting a systemic flaw or political intent.
“No transparency has been maintained. Political parties weren’t informed before removing names. Even the Supreme Court’s guidelines have been ignored,” he said.
Yadav accused the Election Commission of working under political pressure and referred to it as a “Godi Commission” — a term often used to criticise institutions perceived as biased in favour of the ruling party.
“The Election Commission seems to be taking orders from Gujarat. It has become a puppet,” he said.
Yadav demanded that the Commission disclose full details of deleted voters — including EPIC numbers, addresses, and booth data — to enable analysis and verification by political parties.
He said the lack of such data obstructs accountability and democratic scrutiny.
He further stated: “Democracy is in danger. If this is the process, the elections will not be fair. It appears a particular party is being favoured from the outset.”
Tejashwi revealed that an RJD delegation had met the Election Commission on Friday to express concerns, but their appeal was not taken seriously.
He urged the government and the Election Commission to reconsider the timeline of the elections and extend the process, citing the scale of discrepancies.
“There should be a fair opportunity to file claims and objections. The system cannot disenfranchise lakhs of voters silently,” he said.
According to Election Commission guidelines, voters can submit claims and objections until September 1, 2025, under the ongoing revision. Any eligible voter whose name has been deleted can file Form 6 along with the necessary declarations.(Agency)
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