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As per Sections 17 and 18 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, a person cannot be enrolled as a voter in more than one constituency or twice in the same constituency
If it is proven that he deliberately registered his name in both states, the Election Commission can disqualify Prashant Kishor. (PTI/File)
Ahead of the first phase of Bihar Assembly polls on November 6, Jan Suraj leader and poll strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishor has landed in a fresh controversy. According to a report in The Indian Express, Election Commission records show Kishor’s name in the voter lists of both Bihar and West Bengal.
Where Is Prashant Kishor Registered As A Voter?
According to the report, Kishor’s name is registered at 121 Kalighat Road in Kolkata, the address of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) headquarters, which falls under the Bhawanipur constituency, represented by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Kishor worked as an election strategist for TMC in the 2021 West Bengal Assembly elections, and his polling station there is St. Helen School, B. Ranisankari Lane.
Simultaneously, Kishor’s name is also listed in the voter list of Konar village in the Rohtas district of Bihar, his ancestral village, which falls under the Karghar Assembly constituency and Sasaram parliamentary area. His polling station there is Madhya Vidyalaya, Konar.
What Is Prashant Kishor’s Team Claiming?
According to The Indian Express, Kishor did not respond to calls or messages seeking his comment on the matter. However, a senior member of his team told the publication, “After the Bengal elections, Prashant Kishor got a voter card made in Bihar and applied to cancel the Bengal card.” The aide added that Kishor has already applied to cancel his voter ID in Bengal but did not specify whether the process has been completed. Bihar Chief Electoral Officer Vinod Singh Gunjiyal also remained unavailable for comment, the report said.
According to Section 17 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, a person’s name cannot be registered in more than one constituency. Section 18 also states that a person cannot be registered as a voter in the same constituency twice. If a voter changes residence, they must fill out Form 8 to remove their name from the old location.
Reactions In Bengal
Kajri Banerjee, the local councillor of Bhawanipur Ward No. 73 and Mamata Banerjee’s sister-in-law, stated, “121 Kalighat Road is the office of Trinamool Congress. Kishor used to come here for party work. I can’t say whether he got his voter card made from here or not.”
Meanwhile, the CPM has claimed that it had raised the issue with the Election Commission last year. Party leader Biswajit Sarkar said they had written to the poll panel, pointing out that Prashant Kishor was not a resident of the area and urging that his name be deleted from the voter list.
Part Of EC’s Major Clean-Up Drive
The Indian Express report states that cases of voters being listed in more than one constituency are not uncommon. The Election Commission has itself acknowledged this as one of the main reasons behind launching a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls across the country, beginning with Bihar. In its order dated June 24, the Commission noted that many voters register themselves at their new place of residence without deleting their names from the earlier constituency, resulting in duplicate entries.
The SIR exercise in Bihar concluded with the updated rolls being published on September 30. During the process, around 68.66 lakh names were deleted, including nearly 7 lakh instances of voters being registered in multiple locations. Officials, however, admitted that some duplicate entries may still remain.
What Will Jan Suraj Party Do Now?
According to political commentators, this controversy has increased the difficulties for Prashant Kishor and his party Jan Suraj just before the election. If it is proven that he deliberately registered his name in both states, the Election Commission can disqualify him, potentially leading to legal action. Prashant Kishor has not yet responded to this voter list controversy.
Bihar, India, India
October 28, 2025, 11:01 IST
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