East Champaran (Bihar) [India], August 3 : Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor on Sunday criticised the Election Commission over the alleged removal of names from the electoral rolls, but asserted that "those whose names remain on the voter list are enough to remove BJP and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar" in the upcoming assembly elections.
The Jan Suraaj founder also launched a scathing attack on RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, saying that he has no issues to talk about. Yadav has claimed that his name is missing in the draft electoral rolls of Bihar.
Speaking to ANI, Kishor said, "Tejashwi Yadav has no issues to talk about, there is no doubt that the Election Commission is removing people's names... but those whose names remain on the voter list are enough to remove BJP and Nitish Kumar, how many names will they cut?... The people of Bihar have decided that they want employment, not empty speeches... no one is going to fall for false promises, those whose names are not on the list will fight the Election Commission, the Election Commission is not the master, the people are the masters. Whoever the people vote for will win."
Taking aim at Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, Kishor accused him of "mocking" the people of Bihar in Delhi. He also accused Gandhi of showing indifference when Biharis are "attacked" in different states.
He said, "Whether Rahul Gandhi and Tejashwi Yadav undertake a journey, a padyatra, or a helicopter tour, the people of Bihar have been watching them for years. Rahul Gandhi has never stayed in Bihar for even a single day... These people mock the people of Bihar in Delhi. Rahul Gandhi doesn't wake up when people from Bihar are attacked in Maharashtra and Telangana. Now that they need votes, they are coming to Bihar, but the people of Bihar understand everything."
Amid the claims over the deletion of names from the voters' list in Bihar, the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Sunday said that not a single claim or objection has been filed by any political party since the publication of the draft electoral rolls on August 1.
ECI released the draft electoral rolls for Bihar on Friday afternoon, following the completion of the Enumeration Phase under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) 2025.
The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar has sparked a political row, with the opposition INDIA bloc alleging that the revision process could lead to the deletion of a large number of voters.
According to data from the revision exercise in Bihar, around 35 lakh electors have either migrated permanently or could not be traced at their registered addresses.
It is also worth noting that a large number of untraceable electors have been found during the SIR in Bihar.
As per government data from 2017, an estimated 2.04 crore Bangladeshi nationals and Rohingyas are believed to be living illegally in India, adding another layer of complexity to concerns over voter list accuracy. As of January 1, 2024, India had 96.88 crore registered voters for the General Elections, making the outcome of the nationwide revision exercise highly significant.