Prashant Kishor Faces Notice Over Dual Voter Registration
Poll strategist and Jan Suraaj Party leader Prashant Kishor has been served a notice by the Returning Officer of the Kargahar assembly constituency, seeking an explanation for his name appearing on voter lists in both West Bengal and Bihar. The notice follows a report by The Indian Express highlighting the dual registration.
The notice, issued by the Sasaram Land Revenue Deputy Collector cum Electoral Officer, Kargahar Assembly segment, cites Section 17 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, which prohibits individuals from being registered in more than one constituency. Violation of this act can result in imprisonment or a fine.
According to The Indian Express report, Kishor is registered at 121 Kalighat Road in West Bengal, the address of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) office in Bhabanipur, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s constituency. He previously worked with the TMC as a political consultant. In Bihar, he is registered in his paternal village, Konar, under the Sasaram parliamentary constituency.
A senior member of Kishor’s team stated that Kishor became a voter in Bihar after the Bengal polls and has applied to have his Bengal voter card cancelled. However, details regarding the application’s status remain unclear.
While Section 17 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, restricts registration in multiple constituencies, the Election Commission (EC) acknowledges that duplicate registrations are not uncommon. The EC initiated a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, starting in Bihar, to address this issue. The Bihar SIR exercise resulted in the removal of approximately 68.66 lakh electors, including 7 lakh registered at multiple locations.
The West Bengal CEO, Manoj Agarwal, confirmed that the Bihar CEO requested a report on Kishor’s EPIC number, which was provided.
The notice requires Kishor to respond within three days, providing his explanation for the dual registration. His Jan Suraaj Party is contesting the upcoming Bihar Assembly polls.
The Election Commission recognizes that electors sometimes register in a new location after moving without deleting their name from the previous electoral roll. This practice leads to repeated entries and inflates voter numbers.
The investigation into Kishor’s voter registration status is ongoing, and further details are expected as he responds to the notice and the Election Commission continues its efforts to clean up voter rolls.
The Indian Express initially reported on the matter and has sought comments from Prashant Kishor, but no response has been received yet.
Disclaimer: This news article is based on publicly available information and may be subject to updates.
