Tejashwi Cries Foul Over Missing Voter Entry; ECI Hits Back, JDU Calls Him ‘Political Fraud’ News24 –
As the clock ticked closer to the Assembly elections scheduled for later in 2025, Bihar found itself at the centre of fresh allegations. Critics raised concerns regarding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) Electoral Roll being conducted in the state. They alleged irregularities, with deceased individuals reportedly included in the voter list, while living citizens were omitted.
In a fresh case, the CM candidate of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), and the party chief Lalu Prasad Yadav’s son, has alleged that his name is absent from the Election Commission’s draft voter list. He mentioned filling out the enumeration form during the special revision of electoral rolls in Bihar. Yadav questioned how he would contest the upcoming assembly elections. Janata Dal (United) responded, accusing Tejashwi of misleading the public regarding the voter list issue.
What Tejashwi Yadav Said
Addressing a press conference in Patna, Tejashwi stated that he had filled out the enumeration form during the special intensive revision of the electoral rolls in Bihar. Tejashwi said, “My name is not there in the electoral roll. How will I contest the elections?” He also alleged that even after entering the EPIC number, the information about his name is not found in the system. The EPIC number stands for Elector’s Photo Identification Card.
However, the Patna district administration reacted immediately and clarified that Tejashwi Yadav’s name is fully registered in the voter list, but his polling station and serial number have been changed. Responding to the issue, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav stated, “If my EPIC number could be changed, then how many people’s EPIC number was changed? These are the questions we are posing to the Election Commission. This is a conspiracy to cut people’s names from the voter list.”
JDU’s Reaction
JDU’s chief spokesperson Neeraj Kumar called Tejashwi a “political fraud” and accused him of doing politics by misleading the public. Election Commission On This (ECI).
However, the Election Commission immediately refuted this statement and termed it “false and factually incorrect”. The Commission said in its clarification, “It has come to our attention that Tejashwi Yadav has made a mischievous claim that his name does not appear in the draft electoral roll. His name is listed at Serial Number 416 in the Draft Electoral Roll. Therefore, any claim stating that his name is not included in the draft electoral roll is false and factually incorrect”.
Tejashwi Yadav has not yet reacted to this statement of the administration. But this matter is making the already heated political atmosphere of Bihar even more tense, especially amid the elections.
With a minority of the 7.23 crore applicants submitting documents to prove their eligibility so far, Bihar’s draft electoral roll has gone live on Friday.
About SIR
The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the Electoral Roll is a distinctive voter list verification process currently underway in Bihar, as the state prepares for its upcoming polls this year.
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.