Voters describe deletions from Bihar electoral rolls as officials review claims

Several residents of Bihar have described how their names were removed from electoral rolls during the Special Intensive Revision exercise, with some saying the deletions prevented them from voting in the 2025 Assembly elections. The accounts were reported from Araria district and involved people who said they had previously voted regularly. They cited different reasons for their removal, including being marked absent, being classified as already registered and discrepancies in personal or family information.

Deepak Chauhan, who is disabled, said he was at home during the exercise but was nevertheless marked absent. He said the booth-level officer knew he lived in the village and was alive. Chauhan said he had applied for a new voter card but had not received one, and hoped local volunteers could help restore his name.

Ramashankar Sah, Durgabati Devi and others said they had submitted the documents requested by officials but were listed as already registered. Sah said he could not vote in 2025 and was uncertain whether his name would be restored before the next local elections. Devi said losing her place on the rolls had taken away her ability to exercise what she regarded as her only political power.

Rakesh Chauhan said officials had created two voter cards with incorrect details, after which both became invalid. S.K. Riaz attributed his deletion to a discrepancy in his father’s name.

He said the case had been sent to a tribunal and remained under adjudication. The report said some affected residents had repeatedly approached officials without receiving clear answers. Local activists were helping several people complete forms, including Form 6, to seek registration or restoration.

The accounts also describe wider consequences. Riaz said the deletion of his family’s names had affected access to rations, while others said they feared losing the right to vote in future elections.