Bihar voter list fraud: Thousands found registered at fake addresses
What's the story
An investigative report by The Reporters' Collective has revealed major discrepancies in the electoral rolls of Bihar. The analysis found thousands of voters registered under fake or dubious addresses, with hundreds of names linked to the same location. In Galimpur village's Pipra constituency, for instance, 509 voters were registered at one fictitious house and another 459 at a different fake address.
Voter fraud
Similar irregularities found in other constituencies
Similar irregularities were also found in the Bagaha and Motihari constituencies. The report identified 3,590 cases where 20 or more voters were registered at a single address. Nearly 80,000 voters, around eight percent of the electorate in these three constituencies, were "bundled" this way. These discrepancies came to light during the Election Commission of India's (ECI) Special Intensive Revision (SIR).
Political fallout
Rahul Gandhi accuses ECI of facilitating 'vote theft'
The ECI has dismissed all criticism over the alleged discrepancies in SIR, saying political parties and their agents didn't raise objections during verification. However, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has accused the ECI of facilitating "vote theft" to help the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He had alleged direct involvement of the poll body in voter fraud during Bihar's revision and upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Protest planned
Congress to launch 'Voter Adhikar Yatra' in Bihar
Gandhi had claimed Congress has "open-and-shut proof" of irregularities and warned those responsible for the "scam" would face punishment. He also announced a 'Voter Adhikar Yatra' in Bihar as a protest against the SIR exercise. The ECI has announced a press conference in New Delhi at 3:00pm on Sunday, its first public briefing since Bihar's revision exercise.