New Delhi : A majority of the high 65 lakh deletions in Bihar’s draft electoral roll, published on Friday, August 1, are estimated to be spread across the state’s 243 assembly constituencies and may not be concentrated in specific areas, reports the media, (Economic Times). However, Kishanganj assembly constituency, high on the poverty index and with a high Muslim population, assembly constituency is expected to show a significantly higher number of deletions , said the newspaper.
While Hinduism is the majority religion, Muslims constitute a substantial minority in the district says Wikipedia. Specifically, in the town of Kishanganj, Hindus make up 55.48% of the population, while Muslims account for 42.67%, according to a Wikipedia page. Other religions like Jainism (1.07%) and Christianity (0.30%) are also present,
Kishanganj town is also the district headquarters, and is one of the six constituencies in Kishanganj district. The expected higher number deletions of electors in Kishanganj will have significant implication as Kishanganj is one of the seven Seemanchal districts spread in Mithila region of North eastern Bihar.
Ironically, the ECI, earlier this week, had stated that it has received enumeration forms for 91.69% electors in Bihar (7.24 crore electors) but as many as 65 lakh electors are unlikely to make it to the draft electoral roll for a variety of reasons. While 22 lakh people were found deceased by the poll body, another seven lakh electors have been found enrolled at multiple places. A crucial segment of concern is the 36 lakh electors of Bihar — 4.59% of total electors — who have been categorised as permanently shifted/not found as the BLOs could not locate them or did not get back their form. The draft electoral roll will give a clearer picture on the spread and concentration of such cases.
Ahead of the publication of the draft roll, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar stated on Thursday that physical and digital copies of the draft will be given to all recognised political parties in Bihar in all 38 districts by the District Election Officers (DEOs).
“The Chief Electoral Officer of Bihar and 243 Electoral Registration Officers will also be inviting any elector of that assembly constituency or any recognised political party in Bihar to come forward and give claims and objections from August 1 to September 1, 2025, for adding names of any missing eligible elector, removing names of any ineligible elector or correction of any entry in the draft electoral rolls,” the CEC said.
The area also borders Nepal and West Bengal and attracting the bogey of “outsiders” in rolls then connected to allegations, unproven, of “influx of illegal immigrants in the region.” Without providing an details, it may be recalled that, on July 13, ECI sources had even said that “a large number of people from Nepal, Bangladesh and Myanmar” have been found by booth level officers (BLOs) during the house-to-house visits during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) and these persons had been able to procure “all documents including Aadhaar, domicile certificate, ration card, etc”. They said that “after proper enquiry to be conducted from August 130, if found true, such names shall not be included in the final list to be published on September 30, 2025”.