Prashant Kishor faces a storm after being found registered as a voter in both Bihar and West Bengal. Political rivals slam him for violating poll laws, demanding an Election Commission probe into what they call a “heinous political crime.”
Ahead of the high-stakes Bihar Elections 2025, Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor has found himself at the centre of a controversy after official records revealed that he was allegedly registered as a voter in both Bihar and West Bengal — a violation under election law.
According to poll officials, Kishor’s name appears on the electoral roll of Bhabanipur constituency in Kolkata — Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s seat — with the address listed as 121, Kalighat Road, which also happens to be the Trinamool Congress headquarters. His polling station, officials said, is St Helen School on B Ranishankari Lane.
Interestingly, Kishor had worked as a political consultant for the TMC during the 2021 West Bengal Assembly elections.
At the same time, the poll official said, Kishor remains registered as a voter at his native place in Bihar, under the Kargahar assembly segment in Rohtas district. His polling booth there is Madhya Vidyalaya, Konar.
Law prohibits dual voter registration
Citing the Representation of the People Act, 1950, a poll official pointed to the legal implications of the alleged irregularity.
“Section 17 of the Act clearly states that no individual can be registered as a voter in more than one constituency,” the official explained. “Section 18, meanwhile, prohibits multiple entries within the same constituency.”
He added that in case of a change of address, an individual must fill Form 8, declaring that they have shifted residence and consent to deletion of their name from the earlier voter list.
‘The onus is on the Election Commission,’ says Jan Suraaj Party
Responding to the controversy, Jan Suraaj Party national spokesperson Kumar Saurabh Singh said the responsibility lay with the Election Commission.
“The onus is on the Election Commission. It had launched SIR in Bihar with so much of fanfare. So many names were dropped on the ground of deletion. When they can leave room for a lapse in case of a well-known personality like Prashant Kishor, one can imagine the diligence of the EC elsewhere,” he said.
When pressed on whether Kishor had applied for deletion of his name from the West Bengal rolls before being included in Bihar’s list, Singh avoided a direct answer.
“Prashant Kishor is an educated man. He understands his responsibilities well. That he was stationed in West Bengal earlier, as a poll strategist for Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, is well known. Let the EC approach us if it thinks that there has been wrongdoing on our part. Our legal team will respond,” he added.
Political rivals seize the moment
The controversy immediately sparked political reactions across Bihar. Leaders from both the ruling NDA and the opposition INDIA bloc were quick to pounce on the issue.
JD(U) spokesperson and MLC Neeraj Kumar said the revelations raised serious questions about Kishor’s political conduct.
“It is amusing that Prashant Kishor, who has all his establishments in Delhi, and hails from Bihar, chose to get registered as a voter in West Bengal. Since when did becoming a poll strategist necessitate your being a voter in the state you are providing your services?” he remarked.
The JD(U) leader even hinted at a possible political motive behind the dual registration.
“We suspect Kishor had tried to strike a deal with Banerjee, that after her victory in the 2021 polls, she would get him elected to the Rajya Sabha. To become a member of the Upper House in Parliament he needed to be a resident of the state concerned. But the Trinamool Congress chief must have snubbed him after returning as the chief minister. So, in a sulk, he might have staged the drama of retiring from the consultancy business,” he alleged.
BJP calls it a ‘heinous crime’
The BJP, meanwhile, used stronger language. Its state spokesperson Neeraj Kumar accused Kishor of indulging in what he called a deliberate and dangerous act.
“This is no minor oversight, but a heinous crime,” he said, adding that Kishor was involved “in a vile conspiracy with the ruling TMC in West Bengal to undermine Bihar elections.”
He urged the Election Commission to step in immediately.
“The BJP demands an immediate and rigorous investigation against Kishor, whom we count among political brokers and deal makers who trample upon democracy in their hunger for power,” the statement said.
RJD slams EC, calls SIR exercise a farce
The opposition RJD also weighed in, linking the controversy to the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls in Bihar.
RJD spokesperson Mrityunjay Tiwari said the episode had exposed flaws in the EC’s exercise.
“The episode completely exposes the farce that the SIR has been in Bihar, and which is now being carried across the country. Several instances of names of leaders belonging to the ruling NDA, registered as voters at more than one place, have come to the fore,” he said.
He also questioned Kishor’s political alignment.
“Now, Prashant Kishor, whom we suspect of working, clandestinely, for the BJP-led coalition, has joined the list. Let him come forth with an explanation,” Tiwari added.
Election Commission admits duplication is a recurring issue
Acknowledging the problem, the Election Commission said that duplication of voter entries remained a “recurring issue” across several states.
Officials cited this as one of the key reasons for the nationwide Special Intensive Revision (SIR), which began in Bihar and concluded on September 30.
The revision led to the deletion of nearly 68.66 lakh entries, including around seven lakh cases of multiple registrations.