5 Bihar villagers declared 'dead' in voter list turn up
What's the story
With the first phase of the Bihar elections just weeks away, a shocking error has come to light. Five residents of Batsar village in Dhoraiya block were shocked to find their names listed as "dead" on the draft voter list. The affected voters are Mohan Sah, Sanjay Yadav, Ramroop Yadav, Narendra Kumar Das, and Vishnvar Prasad from booth number 216.
Official response
BDO assures immediate correction
The five villagers approached Block Development Officer (BDO) Arvind Kumar on Friday to rectify the error. They submitted a memorandum stating, "Sir, we are alive." Kumar assured immediate correction and directed the Booth Level Officer (BLO) to fill Form-6 for reinstating their names. He stressed that no eligible voter would be denied their right to vote.
Statewide issue
Similar case in Dumri village
Similar mistakes have popped up elsewhere, with some deceased people still on the rolls and many questionable entries. In Dumri village of Bagahi Panchayat in Champaran, 15 people were wrongly marked as "dead" on the voter list. Meanwhile, Sonia Sharan, who passed away in 2018, and her son, Manit Mani, who died in February 2025, were shown as eligible voters. Even those who died as far back as 2016 still appear on the voter list.
Election impact
Supreme Court takes cognizance of mass deletions from voter rolls
The 2025 Bihar Legislative Assembly elections will be held in two phases on November 6 and November 11, with vote counting on November 14. Earlier, the Election Commission of India (ECI) launched a new digital platform called ECI Net. The app, dubbed the "mother of all apps," will be used during the upcoming Bihar Assembly Elections. It aims to bring transparency and efficiency in India's electoral process by integrating over 40 election-related apps into a single interface.