Election Commission Issues Notice To Prashant Kishor Over Dual Voter Enrolments

The Election Commission of India has issued a showcause notice to poll strategist and Jan Suraaj Party chief Prashant Kishor after finding that his name appears on the electoral rolls of both Bihar and West Bengal, a violation of electoral law, reported India today.

The notice, delivered by the Returning Officer of Bihar's Kargahar Assembly constituency (Sasaram, Rohtas district), references Section 17 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, which prohibits an individual from being registered to vote in more than one constituency.

It advises that violating this provision may result in penalties under Section 31, including imprisonment for up to a year, a fine, or both.

According to the notice, Kishor is registered as a voter in Part 367 (Middle School, Konar, North Section) under polling booth number 621 in Kargahar, with EPIC number 1013123718. His name also allegedly appears on the voter list of Bhabanipur Assembly Constituency in West Bengal, with a polling station at St. Helen School, B Ranishankari Lane.

Kishor has admitted that his name features in both states’ electoral rolls but claimed the error resulted from the Election Commission’s negligence, not his own. He has been asked to explain within three days how the duplication occurred.

The action follows the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Bihar’s voter rolls, which aimed to eliminate duplicate and ineligible entries before the upcoming elections. The final list now includes 7.4 crore voters, with around 14 lakh first-time electors.

Bihar will vote in two phases on 6 and 11 November, with counting scheduled for 14 November.

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