Prashant Kishor Slams EC Over Voter Roll Duplication Notice, Questions SIR Exercise
Kishor questioned the Commission’s oversight during the Summary Intensive Revision exercise and challenged the poll body to arrest him if he was at fault.
The Election Commission has issued a notice to poll strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishor, seeking an explanation for the alleged duplication of his name in voter rolls of Bihar and West Bengal. The move comes after a media report flagged Kishor’s name appearing in electoral rolls of both states, an act that violates provisions of the Representation of the People Act, 1950. Responding to it, Kishor questioned the Commission’s oversight during the Summary Intensive Revision exercise and challenged the poll body to arrest him if he was at fault.
"If my name appears in two voter lists, the Election Commission should explain why my name wasn't deleted when SIR was effected in Bihar. My name is in Karakat since 2019. I went to Bengal for two years in between, so I was a voter there. Why is the Election Commission sending a notice? If it's my fault, arrest me," he said as per NDTV.
According to the Election Commission, citing a report by The Indian Express, Prashant Kishor’s name appears in the Maniktala Assembly Constituency, within the North Kolkata Parliamentary seat in West Bengal. Simultaneously, his name is also listed in the voter roll of Bihar’s Karakat Assembly Constituency.
His address, The Indian Express reported, was listed as 121 Kalighat Road, which houses the Trinamool Congress office in Kolkata's Bhabanipur, Banerjee's assembly constituency.
Slamming the SIR exercise he said, "SIR was done in Bihar. What difference did it make? Was anyone's name struck off? A few people did face difficulties. BJP can try all it wants, but they might want to delete someone's name, scare someone and bother someone. But if people turn against you, do any SIR or FIR, there will be nobody to save you...," he said while interacting with media on Tuesday as reported by NDTV.
