Patna/Sasaram: Jan Suraaj chief
Prashant Kishor was on Tuesday issued a notice by the electoral registration officer (ERO) of Kargahar assembly constituency in Rohtas district for reportedly being enrolled as an elector in both Bihar and West Bengal.
Referring to a news report stating Kishor was enrolled in Kargahar as well as Bhowanipore in West Bengal, the ERO asked him to furnish an explanation within three days, as to how he figured in the electoral roll of two different assembly constituencies and states.
Responding to the controversy, Kishor said, “If my name appears on two voter lists, then the
Election Commission should explain why it was not deleted during the SIR (special intensive review) of electoral rolls in Bihar. EC claims it has purged the voter list. My name has been in Kargahar since 2019. I went to Bengal for two years in between, so I was a voter there. Why is the EC sending a notice? If it’s my fault, arrest me.”
BJP and LJP (Ram Vilas) have targeted Kishor over the row. Though Kishor is not contesting in the Bihar assembly elections scheduled for Nov 6 and 11, his party has fielded candidates in 240 out of 243 seats.
Union minister Chirag Paswan said, “When you yourself have two voter IDs, how can you question others?” BJP MP Pradeep Kumar Singh added, “There are no rules or laws for Prashant Kishor. The people of Bihar have realised this — he is like another Kejriwal.”
BJP national spokesperson Guru Prakash Paswan said, “People like Prashant Kishor, who treat elections as mere tourism or marketing campaigns, should be more sensitive and try to understand Bihar better.” JD(U) spokesman and MLC Neeraj Kumar questioned, “How did those who preach about migration become voters in Bengal? Clear answers are needed on the address, process and purpose as accountability is also essential in politics.”
According to the Election Commission, registering in more than one constituency violates Section 31 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, which carries punishment of up to one year in prison, a fine, or both.
Defending Kishor, Jan Suraaj spokesman Rajeev Ranjan said his rivals were “unnecessarily making a mountain out of a molehill.”
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