Electoral Roll Controversy: Tejashwi Yadav’s Name Missing, ECI Disputes Claim, JDU Slams ‘Political Fraud’

The upcoming 2025 Assembly elections in Bihar have ignited a fresh wave of controversy surrounding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll. Concerns have been raised about the accuracy of the voter list, with reports of deceased individuals being included while eligible voters are excluded. Tejashwi Yadav, the RJD’s CM candidate and son of Lalu Prasad Yadav, has alleged that his name is not on the draft voter list. He confirmed that he filled out the enumeration form during the special revision of electoral rolls. Janata Dal (United) responded by accusing Yadav of misleading the public. Addressing a press conference, Yadav stated that his name was absent, even after entering his EPIC number, and questioned how he could participate in the elections. The Patna district administration responded, stating that Yadav’s name is registered, although his polling station and serial number have been changed. JDU’s chief spokesperson, Neeraj Kumar, called Tejashwi a ‘political fraud’, accusing him of creating political drama. The Election Commission refuted the claim, calling it ‘false and factually incorrect’, and stating that Yadav’s name appears in the draft electoral roll. Yadav has not commented on the administration’s statement. The situation is intensifying the already heated political environment in Bihar. Bihar’s draft electoral roll was released on Friday, with a limited number of applicants submitting documents to prove eligibility. The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the Electoral Roll is currently underway to verify the voter list. The Chief Electoral Officer of Bihar and 243 Electoral Officers will review objections to discrepancies in the electoral roll. The objection period is from August 1st to September 1st, 2025. The ECI issued instructions for conducting Special Intensive Revision exercise in Bihar on the 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. Voters can check their details at the ECI website.