A major controversy has emerged in Bihar after the name of a Pakistani woman was found in the draft electoral roll in Bhagalpur. Officials identified her during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list, raising serious questions about how she was included.
The discovery happened after the Ministry of Home Affairs ordered a special verification drive to trace foreign nationals living in India without valid documents. During this process, the woman’s details came to light.
Officials confirmed that her name had been entered in Bihar’s voter roll. Even more surprising, it had already been verified during the SIR process.
Passport and Visa Details Confirm Nationality
The Booth Level Officer (BLO), who handled the verification, explained how she found the details.
She said, “I received a letter from the department containing her passport and visa details, which confirmed her Pakistani nationality. Her passport was issued in Rangpur in 1956, and her associated visa dates back to 1958.”
The BLO added that she visited the woman’s residence as part of the verification. “The woman appeared to be in poor health and was unable to engage in conversation during the verification. Following orders, I completed the necessary formalities and verification, and submitted Form 7 to initiate the deletion of her name from the voter roll,” she said.
District Magistrate Confirms Action
Bhagalpur District Magistrate Dr Naval Kishor Chaudhary confirmed the development. He said, “As per the information available, her name was found in the electoral roll. After verification, the process for deletion was started by submitting Form 7. The process will be completed following due procedure.”
He added that a formal investigation is underway. Authorities will also look into how she continued to live in India for so many decades and how her name entered the voter list.
Electoral Roll Under Special Revision
The Special Intensive Revision of the voter list in Bihar began in July, ahead of the upcoming assembly elections. Enumeration forms were distributed and collected between June 25 and July 25.
According to the Election Commission of India (ECI), Bihar had 7.89 crore registered voters as of June 24. By July 25, officials collected 7.24 crore forms. On the draft roll published on August 1, nearly 65 lakh names were deleted. These included dead voters (22,34,501), shifted or absent voters (36,28,210), and duplicate names (7,01,364).
The ECI allowed voters to submit documents and objections until the end of the verification period. On Sunday, the ECI confirmed that 98.2% of electors in Bihar had submitted valid documents.
Inquiry to Continue
Authorities in Bhagalpur said the case of the Pakistani woman will now be investigated by multiple departments. Officials will probe how her name remained in the voter list for so many years and whether others with foreign nationality are also enrolled.
The case has raised strong questions about the verification system of electoral rolls in Bihar, especially ahead of elections.
