As Bihar anticipates the 2025 Assembly elections, a political dispute has emerged over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll. Concerns are being voiced over alleged irregularities in the voter list, including the inclusion of deceased individuals and the omission of living citizens. Tejashwi Yadav, the RJD’s CM candidate and son of Lalu Prasad Yadav, has claimed that his name is missing from the Election Commission’s draft voter list. He stated he filled out the enumeration form during the special revision. Janata Dal (United) responded by accusing Tejashwi of misleading the public regarding the issue. At a press conference, Tejashwi said his name was absent from the roll, raising questions about his eligibility to contest the upcoming elections. The Patna district administration clarified that his name is registered, although his polling station and serial number have been changed. JDU’s chief spokesperson, Neeraj Kumar, labeled Tejashwi a ‘political fraud,’ accusing him of playing politics. The Election Commission refuted the claim, labeling it ‘false and factually incorrect,’ and said that Tejashwi’s name is indeed in the draft electoral roll. Tejashwi has yet to react to the administration’s statement. The situation is adding tension to Bihar’s political climate. The draft electoral roll was released on Friday. The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) is a process of voter list verification currently happening in Bihar. 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 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 on the ECI website.
