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Election Commission issues notice to Prashant Kishor for being enrolled as voter in 2 states
The Election Commission has issued a notice to Jan Suraaj Party's Prashant Kishor for being registered as a voter in Bihar and Bengal, violating electoral laws.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Tuesday issued a notice to Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor for allegedly being enrolled as a voter in both Bihar and West Bengal.
According to a report in The Indian Express, Prashant Kishor’s name appears in the electoral rolls of West Bengal and Bihar. The poll strategist-turned-politician, whose party is contesting the Bihar assembly election, is listed at 121 Kalighat Road in Kolkata, the address of the Trinamool Congress office in chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s Bhabanipur constituency.
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Citing the report, the ECI said in its notice that Kishor’s name was registered in the voter list of ‘Nirmal Hriday School, Beadon Street, Kolkata’ and “also in 209–Karahgar Assembly Constituency (Part No. 767, Serial No. 621) in Bihar, with voter ID IUJ1323718.”
The poll panel reminded that under Section 17 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, a person cannot be registered as a voter in more than one constituency. Violation of this rule is punishable under Section 31 of the same Act.
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“You are requested to clarify within three days regarding your name being registered in more than one constituency,” the notice to Kishore said.
What is the issue?
According to The Indian Express report, in Bihar, Prashant Kishor is registered as a voter under the Sasaram Parliamentary constituency in the Kargahar assembly constituency. His polling station is Madhya Vidyalay, Konar, under the Rohtas district. Konar is Kishor’s paternal village.
It is to be noted that Kishor had worked with the Trinamool Congress as a political consultant during the 2021 assembly election in Bengal. His polling station is listed as St Helen School on B Ranishankari Lane.
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The report, citing a senior member of Kishor's team, said he became a voter in Bihar after the Bengal assembly poll. According to his team member, Kishor has applied to have his Bengal voter card cancelled, but did not elaborate on the status of the application. Bihar’s chief electoral officer Vinod Singh Gunjiyal did not respond to queries seeking a comment, the report claimed.
Local TMC councillor of ward number 73 and CM Mamata Banerjee’s sister-in-law, Kajari Banerjee, said that 121, Kalighat Road, is the party office of All India Trinamool Congress. “He (Kishor) used to visit and stay in that building (during his work with the TMC). I am not sure whether he enrolled (as a voter) from here or not,” the newspaper quoted her as saying.
