Prashant Kishor enrolled as voter both in West Bengal and Bihar, says report

Prashant Kishor worked with the Trinamool Congress as a political strategist during the 2021 assembly

Jan Suraaj Party chief Prashant Kishor is enrolled as a voter in both West Bengal and Bihar.

According to a report by Indian Express, the JSP president’s address is listed as 121 Kalighat Road in Bengal.  The address also houses the Trinamool Congress office in Bhabanipur. It is also Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s constituency.

Meanwhile, in Bihar, he has been registered as a voter under the Sasaram parliamentary constituency in the Kargahar assembly constituency.

While Kishor worked with the Trinamool Congress as a political strategist during the 2021 assembly elections, his Bihar polling station is Madhya Vidyalay, Konar. The IE report stated that Konar is Kishor’s paternal village.

A senior member of the JSP told IE that Kishor has become a voter in Bihar after the Bengal assembly election. Kishor reportedly has applied to have his Bengal voter card cancelled. IE could not get any comment from Bihar’s Chief Electoral Officer Vinod Singh Gunjiyal.

What do the rules say?

Earlier, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav found himself at the centre of a political storm after allegations surfaced that he holds two voter ID cards in Bihar.

As per Section 17 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, “no person shall be entitled to be registered in the electoral roll for more than one constituency”. And Section 18 adds that no person shall be registered more than once in the electoral roll of the same constituency. Once registered, the elector can shift their enrolment by filling Form 8, the EC’s form for shifting residence or correcting errors.

However, it is not a rare event. “Some electors obtain registration in one place and then shift their residence and register themselves at another place without getting their names deleted from the electoral roll of the initial place of residence. This has led to an increased possibility of repeated entries in the electoral roll,” the EC had said in its June 24 order for the SIR.

What to do if you have two ID cards?

If someone finds themselves with two voter IDs, whether by accident or oversight, they must:

•Fill Form 7 to delete one of the entries

•Submit the EPIC number of the older or incorrect card to the local booth-level officer

•Surrender the duplicate card at the nearest election office

If the duplication was not intentional, no harsh penalties are usually imposed. But if someone has deliberately obtained a second card, they may face serious legal action.