Political strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishor on Tuesday refuted allegations of being enrolled as a voter in both Bihar and West Bengal, asserting that any duplication in voter records was due to the Election Commission’s (EC) negligence, not his own.
Responding to the EC’s notice, Kishor said he has been a registered voter in Bihar’s Kargahar Assembly constituency since 2019. “For two years, when I was in Kolkata, I had a voter ID made there. Since 2021, my voter ID has been for Kargahar. If the ECI believes my name exists elsewhere, why wasn’t it removed during the Special Intensive Revision? If it’s my fault, arrest me,” he told ANI.
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EC Notice Cites Violation of Representation of the People Act
The Election Commission earlier issued a notice to the Jan Suraaj Party founder after discovering his name in voter lists of both Bihar and West Bengal. Kishor has been given three days to respond.
As per the notice from the Returning Officer of Kargahar constituency (Rohtas district, Bihar), Kishor is listed as a voter in Part 367 under polling booth 621, with EPIC number 1013123718. However, officials claim he is also enrolled in Kolkata’s Bhabanipur constituency at the Trinamool Congress headquarters address — 121, Kalighat Road.
The EC cited Sections 17 and 18 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, which prohibit multiple voter registrations in different or the same constituencies. Individuals are required to request deletion of previous entries when relocating through Form 8.
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Special Revision Removed 68 Lakh Duplicate Entries
The controversy comes after the Election Commission concluded its Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Bihar on September 30, 2025, which aimed to eliminate duplicate and ineligible entries ahead of the state elections. The revision led to the removal of over 68.6 lakh duplicate entries, including nearly seven lakh multiple registrations.
The EC acknowledged that duplicate voter listings remain a recurring issue nationwide and emphasized that the ongoing revision drive seeks to rectify such irregularities across all states.
