Hundreds of voters found registered to single addresses in Bihar: Report

The ECI has, in the meantime, dismissed all criticism regarding the alleged discrepancies in the SIR, arguing that political parties and their agents failed to raise objections during the verification process.

A recent investigative report has uncovered major discrepancies in Bihar’s revised electoral rolls, with thousands of voters registered under fake or dubious addresses.

The investigative analysis, conducted by The Reporters’ Collective along with data analysts, has flagged tens of thousands of voters linked to fictitious or non-existent homes. In several cases, hundreds of names were tied to the same address, states the report.

For instance, in Galimpur village of Pipra constituency, 509 voters have been listed under one roof and another 459 at a separate address, both houses later confirmed to be fictitious, it has been learnt from the report. Similar discrepancies were reportedly found in Bagaha and Motihari constituencies, states The Reporters’ Collective.

Overall, 3,590 such cases were identified where 20 or more voters were clustered at a single location. Nearly 80,000 voters, about 8 percent of the electorate across the three constituencies, appeared to have been “bundled” in this way, mentions the report.

The irregularities reportedly surfaced during the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) Special Intensive Revision (SIR).

The ECI has, in the meantime, dismissed all criticism regarding the alleged discrepancies in the SIR, arguing that political parties and their agents failed to raise objections during the verification process.

Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi has accused the ECI of enabling “vote theft” to benefit the ruling BJP.

On August 1, Gandhi alleged the poll body’s “direct involvement” in voter fraud during both Bihar’s revision and the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, claiming Congress has “open-and-shut proof” of irregularities.

“Votes are being stolen. We have 100% proof that the Election Commission is enabling vote theft, and they are doing it for the BJP,” Gandhi had said. Days later, he presented data alleging “vote chori” of over 1 lakh votes in Karnataka’s Mahadevapura constituency, describing the elections as “choreographed.”

Doubling down on his allegations this week, Gandhi warned that those responsible for the “scam” would eventually face punishment. He has also announced a ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’ in Bihar, calling it a protest against the SIR exercise.

Meanwhile, the Election Commission, on Saturday, announced it would hold a press conference in New Delhi at 3 pm on Sunday.

This would be its first public briefing since the Bihar revision exercise.