Voters Declared ‘Dead’: Hundreds Protest Against Erroneous Deletions from Bihar Electoral Rolls

A wave of shock and frustration has swept across Bihar after dozens of living citizens were declared “dead” and struck off the voter list, with many now staging protests in Delhi and seeking justice.

In a recent incident, a group of affected voters shared their ordeal, revealing that upon checking the voter list, they were shocked to find their names missing. “We found out after checking the voter list that our names were not there. When we enquired further, we discovered the Election Commission had declared us dead,” said one protester from Raghopur, Bihar. According to the group, this is not an isolated incident. “In just one panchayat, there are at least 50 such cases. Across three or four polling booths, many people have been declared dead and haven’t made it here to Delhi yet,” he continued.

Many of the protestors, including an 85-year-old woman and her son, had no idea they had been marked as deceased until they attempted to check their voting status. “She stood for nearly six hours at the Supreme Court today, determined to protect her vote,” the woman’s son explained, highlighting the lengths people are going to in order to correct these egregious errors.

Protesters provided written and official documentation showing they had been erroneously listed as dead by the Election Commission. “There are 6.5 million voters in Bihar whose names have been cut from the rolls,” a protest leader said. “Of these, the commission claims 2.2 million are dead, 3.6 million have shifted locations, and the rest are duplicates. But who exactly are these people classified as ‘shifted’? The Election Commission refuses to provide details.”

Another affected citizen recounted, “Officials came to our house, took copies of our Aadhar card, bank passbook, and photos. We thought everything was fine. But later I found out my name was still in the list of deceased voters.”

Some allege political motives behind the deletions. “We believe this was done to help defeat Tejashwi Yadav in Raghopur. The Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance) needs to unite to save Bihar from this injustice,” a protestor insisted. “We are doing our best to stop this vote theft and prevent any dishonesty in the elections.”

A number of protestors arrived in Delhi overnight, heading straight to the Supreme Court, hoping for intervention. “We have come here because we hope that by meeting the authorities, not only will our issue be resolved, but the hundreds of thousands of others whose names have been wrongly deleted will also get justice.”

As the controversy grows, the demand for a transparent and fair resolution is mounting. The affected citizens hope their voices will reach officials, who will take immediate steps to restore their voting rights and ensure the integrity of the electoral process in Bihar.