An investigation by The Reporters’ Collective has raised serious concerns over large-scale attempts to disenfranchise Muslim voters in the Dhaka assembly constituency of Bihar. The probe reveals that between late 2023 and early 2024, multiple petitions were filed seeking the deletion of nearly 80,000 Muslim names from the electoral roll, an act that appears to have been part of a coordinated and politically sensitive effort.
The documents reviewed by the collective include one submission that was filed on official letterhead of the BJP’s Bihar state unit, and another submitted in the name of the personal assistant to Dhaka’s sitting BJP MLA, Pawan Kumar Jaiswal. These requests were directed to both the local Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) and the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Bihar.
While electoral roll revisions are routine processes intended to maintain accurate voter databases, the nature and scale of these particular deletion requests have raised red flags. According to the investigation, all the names flagged for removal belonged to Muslim voters, a detail that suggests targeted disenfranchisement. One submission alone sought to eliminate 78,384 names from the constituency’s voter list, accounting for nearly 40% of the electorate.
What makes the situation more troubling is the manner in which these names were compiled and submitted. The list digitally generated comprised only names typically associated with the Muslim community, indicating the possible use of software tools or systematic filtering methods to identify and segregate specific voter groups.
The BJP’s Booth Level Agents (BLAs), who submitted many of these deletion petitions, were required to provide reasons and verify the accuracy of their claims under Section 31 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950 a law that criminalizes false statements intended to manipulate voter rolls. However, none of the petitions appear to have included any justification for the deletions, and no penal action has followed.
When contacted, MLA Pawan Jaiswal dismissed the probe’s findings, questioning the interest of national media in what he described as “local matters.” Meanwhile, the BJP’s local leadership has denied knowledge of a key signatory, “Lokesh,” who submitted one of the mass deletion requests. Despite the denial, the party has not reported any misuse of its official letterhead or initiated legal proceedings against possible forgeries.
The local election officer confirmed receiving the bulk deletion requests but insisted that no mass removals had been executed. He said individual verification would be conducted as part of the ongoing Special Summary Revision (SIR). However, he declined to share proof of receipt or any formal correspondence rejecting the submissions.
Critics say the process is opaque and bypasses established protocols. The Reporters’ Collective claims that during the SIR, the Election Commission deviated from its own procedural guidelines, introducing ad hoc rule changes and centralizing discretion in a way that undermined oversight. These irregularities have sparked fears of misuse and manipulation, especially in politically sensitive regions.
The Dhaka constituency, located along Bihar’s border in East Champaran, has historically seen close electoral contests. In 2020, BJP’s Jaiswal reclaimed the seat by a narrow margin of just over 10,000 votes. With a strong presence of Muslim and Yadav voter demographics typically aligned with the opposition RJD and Congress, even a few thousand wrongful deletions could tilt the outcome of the upcoming election scheduled later this year.
The controversy in Dhaka comes as national opposition leaders amplify their warnings about alleged attempts to delete opposition-leaning voters across India. On September 18, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi accused the ruling BJP of orchestrating “vote theft” through fraudulent deletions in states like Karnataka, Maharashtra, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh, using false credentials and unauthorized digital access.
Back in Bihar, the unfolding situation in Dhaka adds to growing concerns that the electoral revision process is being weaponized to suppress minority votes, a trend that, if proven, could significantly undermine democratic credibility in one of the most politically vibrant regions of India.
