Tejashwi Yadav, raising concerns about the voter list revision, has stated that if even 1% of votes are removed, the election results in over 40 Bihar assembly seats could be affected.
Bihar Assembly Election 2025: The political atmosphere in Bihar is heating up before the assembly elections, with the special intensive revision (SIR) of the voter list at the center of it. Leader of the Opposition Tejashwi Yadav has claimed that if even 1% of voters are removed from the list, the results in more than three dozen seats in the state could be affected. Amidst the Election Commission's claims and the opposition's concerns, it is necessary to understand what this one percent figure means and why it has become so significant.
Tejashwi's Objection to the SIR Process
Regarding the special intensive revision (SIR) campaign of the voter list in Bihar, Leader of the Opposition Tejashwi Yadav has raised serious questions about the Election Commission. He says that this process is merely for show and that there may be a conspiracy to remove names in an organized manner.
Tejashwi has also expressed his lack of faith in the Election Commission's claim of more than 80 percent form submissions. He says that many voters themselves are unaware that a form has been filled in their name. Tejashwi has expressed concern that if even 1% of voters are removed from the list, it could directly impact approximately 40 assembly seats.
What is the 1% Vote Calculation?
The figures cited by Tejashwi Yadav are noteworthy. The total number of voters in Bihar is approximately 79 million. If 1% of these voters are removed from the list, the figure reaches 790,000.
Considering the 243 seats in the Bihar assembly, this could result in an average loss of 3,251 voters per seat. According to Tejashwi, the removal of such a large number of votes could significantly affect the election results.
Examples of Close Fights and 2020 Election Results
- Tejashwi's concern is not unfounded. In the 2020 assembly elections, the margin of victory in 40 seats in the state was less than 3,500 votes.
- In the Hilsa seat of Nalanda, JDU's Krishnamurari Sharan won by only 12 votes.
- RJD's Sudhakar Singh won by a mere 189 votes.
- The victories in Dehri seat (464 votes), Kurhani seat (712 votes), and Bakhri seat (777 votes) were also very narrow.
These figures clearly show that many seats saw very close contests. In such a scenario, if 1% of votes are removed from the list, the results of many seats could be overturned.
Are Close Fights the Only Reason for Concern?
According to senior journalist Omprakash Ashk, Tejashwi Yadav's concern is not limited to seats with close margins. Border seats like Seemanchal and Mithilanchal are also crucial for the RJD. Yadav and Muslim voters in these areas are considered the RJD's strength.
During the SIR, some reports also revealed that some individuals whose citizenship is unclear are included in the voter list in areas bordering Nepal. This is causing the RJD to fear the removal of names from its core vote bank.
Tejashwi's Allegations: Confusion in Voter Verification
Tejashwi Yadav has stated that voters are unaware whether a form has been filled in their name or not. He claimed that even many BLOs (Booth Level Officers) are confused. Tejashwi alleged that perhaps the BJP and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar have given a target to remove 10 to 50 votes from each booth.
The Election Commission says that more than 80% of voters in Bihar have filled the forms, and the verification process is in its final stage. The Commission has claimed that this step has been taken to make the voter list transparent and error-free.
