Prashant Kishor in Controversy: Name Found on Voter Lists in Both Bihar and West Bengal

As Bihar gears up for the first phase of voting, political activity across the state is reaching its peak. Amid this, election strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishor has landed in controversy. His name has reportedly appeared on voter lists in two different states—Bihar and West Bengal—raising serious questions about compliance with election laws.

According to reports, Kishor’s name is registered as a voter at two addresses. In West Bengal, his address is listed as 121 Kalighat Road, the same building that houses the Trinamool Congress office in Bhawanipur, the constituency of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. During the 2021 assembly elections in Bengal, Kishor worked as a political consultant for the TMC. His polling booth in Kolkata is recorded as St. Helen’s School, located on B. Ranishankari Lane.

At the same time, his name also appears on the voter list in Bihar’s Kargahar assembly constituency under the Sasaram parliamentary seat. His polling station there is Madhya Vidyalaya, Konar, in Rohtas district—his ancestral village.

When contacted by The Indian Express, Kishor did not respond to calls or messages. However, a senior member of his team stated that he became a registered voter in Bihar after the Bengal elections and had already applied to cancel his voter registration in West Bengal. The official did not clarify whether the cancellation had been processed. Bihar’s Chief Electoral Officer Vinod Singh Gunjyal also declined to comment on the issue.

Under Section 17 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, no individual is allowed to be registered as a voter in more than one constituency. Similarly, Section 18 prohibits registration more than once within the same constituency. To change one’s voter registration or correct details, individuals are required to fill out Form 8 of the Election Commission of India (ECI).

Despite these provisions, the Election Commission has repeatedly found that many voters remain registered in multiple locations. To address this issue, the ECI recently conducted a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists in several states, starting with Bihar. During this process, around 68.66 lakh names were deleted from Bihar’s voter list, including approximately 7 lakh duplicate entries. Still, officials admit that some duplications might remain.

Meanwhile, Kajari Banerjee, local Trinamool councillor and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s sister-in-law, confirmed that 121 Kalighat Road serves as the TMC’s party office. She added that Kishor had stayed in the building during his tenure with the party but could not recall whether he registered as a voter from that address.

Notably, the CPM had raised objections during the previous Lok Sabha elections, claiming that Kishor was not a resident of Bhawanipur and should be removed from the voter list. Vishwajit Sarkar, secretary of the Bhawanipur-2 area committee, said, “We had written to the Election Commission stating that Prashant Kishor does not live here, and his name should be deleted.”