Bihar Polls: RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav claims his name deleted from electoral roll after SIR update, ECI clarifies

RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on Saturday said that his name has been removed from the electoral roll following the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) conducted by the Election Commission in Bihar.

However, moments later, the ECI refuted the claims. "It has come to our attention that Tejashwi Yadav has made a mischievous claim that his name does not appear in the draft electoral roll. His name is listed at Serial Number 416 in the Draft Electoral Roll," ANI quoted ECI as saying.

"Therefore, any claim stating that his name is not included in the draft electoral roll is false and factually incorrect," the election regulator further added.


The ECI on Friday came out with the much-anticipated 'draft electoral rolls' in Bihar, enlisting 7.24 crore voters but knocking off more than 65 lakh names, claiming that most of the persons concerned had died or migrated.

The draft electoral rolls, prepared as part of the special intensive revision (SIR), which has caused much controversy as the exercise was ordered with just a few months left for assembly polls, are available for voters online.

The EC has also said it was making available printed copies, district wise, to representatives of political parties so that anomalies, if any, could be flagged during the 'claims and objections' phase, which would continue till September 1 before the 'final rolls' are published.

However, the main opposition party, the RJD, was unhappy with the system and in a memorandum, submitted to the Chief Electoral Officer of Bihar, it demanded an 'assembly segment-wise' break-up conveniently downloaded "in a pen drive or on a CD".