“Declared Dead While Alive”: Voters in Bihar Fight for Their Right to Vote After Being Wrongly Deleted

In a shocking turn of events, hundreds of living people in Bihar have found themselves declared “dead” on the official voter lists, stripping them of their right to participate in democracy. The situation came to light when concerned citizens, denied their voting rights, took their fight all the way to the Supreme Court, hoping for justice.

Living, But Officially “Dead”

When asked how they discovered their predicament, victims told a journalist: “I checked the voter list and saw my name was missing. On investigating, I found out the Election Commission had declared me dead.” This is not an isolated case—according to one affected citizen, at least 50 people in a single panchayat (village council) were wrongly marked as deceased. Across three or four local polling booths, many have suffered the same fate, some unable to even travel due to floods or other issues.

One elderly woman, about 85, learned she had been declared dead only when her son checked the list. Despite being very much alive, she spent five to six hours standing at the Supreme Court to defend her right to vote. She is just one of 6.5 million voters whose names have been removed from Bihar’s electoral rolls.

How Did This Happen? And Why?

The Election Commission claims it removed 6.5 million names for reasons including:

2.2 million listed as deceased
3.6 million marked as “shifted” (moved to another location)
Others accused of duplication

But many believe there’s more to the story. “If the Election Commission provided information about who these 3.6 million shifted voters are, it would expose their entire game,” alleges one political worker. The implication is that voters from certain strongholds—particularly those supporting opposition leader Tejashwi Yadav in Raghupur—have been deliberately targeted to disenfranchise them.

The Human Cost: Stories from the Ground

Another affected voter explained, “Officials came to my house and asked for documents like Aadhar card and bank passbook. I gave them everything. Later, I found out my name had been put in the dead category.”

Were these mass deletions a mistake? Many argue otherwise. “It’s not a mistake. We come from Raghupur, and they want to defeat Tejashwi Ji, so they did this intentionally.”

A Political Battle for Democracy

Leaders from the RJD (Rashtriya Janata Dal) and Mahagathbandhan alliance are united in their fight. “We will not let this cheating succeed! We will work together to stop voter theft and protect democracy in Bihar,” promised local activists, encouraging people to keep up the fight and seek justice.

Some have even traveled to Delhi for the first time, spending hours at the Supreme Court. “We came here alive, only to learn that officially, we are dead—if we’re dead, how can we see Delhi?” joked one victim, showing the absurdity of their situation.

The Larger Issue

This story lays bare critical flaws in India’s electoral process. Mistakenly or deliberately marking living voters as dead denies them the right to participate in the world’s largest democracy—an act many see as theft of their most basic right.

What Next?

As the struggle continues, these citizens hope the courts, the media, and the rest of the country will take notice and push for much-needed reforms, transparency, and justice.

What would you do if one day you found yourself declared dead on government records? Should the Election Commission be held accountable for such mass errors? Share your views in the comments below!