Election Commission Says Parties Are Spreading Lies About Bihar Voter List Update
NEW DELHI, India – August 17, 2025:The head of the Election Commission (CEC), Gyanesh Kumar, said that some people are trying to spread lies about the voter list update happening in Bihar. At a press meeting in Delhi, he shot down claims of vote theft and being unfair, explaining that the update is needed by law. This comes as opposition parties, like Congress and RJD, are complaining a lot about the Election Commission of India (ECI) during their Voter Rights Trip around the state.
ECI Says the Voter List Update is Normal
Gyanesh Kumar, with other election people next to him, said that the voter list update is just something they have to do. He said it’s to make sure the voter list is correct and that everyone over 18 gets to vote. The point is to remove people who have died, are listed more than once, or have moved away.
The ECI said the update is a big job with lots of people involved, like regular workers and election officers. Kumar asked how vote stealing could happen when so many people are watching, including people from the political parties themselves.
Claims of Vote Theft and Blocking Voters
The press meeting was because opposition parties have been making noise. Rahul Gandhi from Congress and Tejashwi Yadav from RJD have been saying that the voter list update is a trick to remove voters from certain groups. Rahul Gandhi said he met people who were wrongly marked as dead and removed from the list during his Voter Rights Trip.
Tejashwi Yadav said the ruling party and the ECI are working together to steal the coming elections in Bihar. He said they’re trying to stop real voters from voting to change the election results. These claims have spread on social media, causing lots of debate and distrust.
Booth Agents and Being Open
The ECI said that political parties get copies of the voter lists to check. They said that the parties have time to make claims to add names, remove names, or fix mistakes. The ECI is worried that the opposition parties are now questioning the process after the time to file claims is over.
The Supreme Court has also talked about the distrust between the ECI and the opposition. However, they haven’t stopped the voter list update. Instead, they’ve told the ECI to be more open and to accept things like Aadhaar cards and ration cards as proof to make things easier.
Problems with the Voter List Update
The Bihar voter list update has had problems from the start. People were worried about what documents were needed, thinking it was like a citizenship check. The ECI said that no names will be removed without a good reason and checking in person.
Besides the vote theft claims, a report said there were big mistakes in the voter lists. They said they found lots of voters from another state with the same information on the Bihar lists. The ECI said they’ll look into it but also warned against spreading claims that aren’t proven.
A Look Back at Voter List Updates
Updating voter lists is normal for the ECI to keep things correct. But this update has become political because it’s happening before the state elections. The ECI has been accused of being unfair before.
The use of fake videos, AI stuff, and lies on social media is a growing problem for elections everywhere. The ECI had warned about these fake stories that are timed to hurt the election process. This press meeting shows the ECI is trying to fight back against these stories.
What It Means for Politics and Society
The issue in Bihar shows a bigger argument about how fair elections are in India. The opposition’s Voter Rights Trip is about protecting the right to vote. The ruling party says the update is needed to make sure elections are clean.
This fight shows the growing divide and distrust between political groups. The ECI is trying to show they are in charge and fair while dealing with a difficult political situation. How the Bihar elections go and what people think of the voter list update will be important for future elections in India.
Yogendra Yadav on Bihar Voter List Deletions
