Prashant Kishor Applies for Removal from Bengal Voter List Following Election Commission Notice

Prashant Kishor has submitted an application to remove his name from West Bengal's voter list, according to Election Commission sources. This submission came on October 25, just two days before the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) for the state was announced.

The Jan Suraaj party founder took this action following a notice from the Election Commission on October 28. The notice was prompted by a newspaper report revealing that the poll strategist-turned-politician was registered as a voter in two locations: ward number 621 in Maniktala Assembly constituency under North Kolkata parliamentary constituency, as well as in Bihar's Karakat Assembly Constituency.

The Election Commission's notice cited Section 17 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, which prohibits registration in electoral rolls of multiple constituencies. Such violations can result in imprisonment, fines, or both under Section 31 of the same Act. The notice requested Kishor to provide an explanation within three days.

Kishor promptly responded, questioning why his name wasn't deleted during Bihar's SIR exercise if duplication existed. He stated, "My name has been in Karakat since 2019. I went to Bengal for two years in between, so I was a voter there. Why is the Election Commission sending a notice? If it's my fault, arrest me."

Through his Jan Suraaj party, Kishor aims to establish a third political alternative in Bihar, beyond the existing NDA and Mahagathbandhan alliances. Speaking at the NDTV Bihar Power Play Conclave, he predicted his party would either perform exceptionally well or poorly in the upcoming election, winning either less than 10 seats or more than 150 of Bihar's 243 assembly seats.

He firmly committed that his party would not form alliances if they failed to secure a mandate, saying they would continue their work regardless of electoral outcomes. When pressed on this point, Kishor even provided written confirmation of his stance.

Addressing a hypothetical scenario where Jan Suraaj might hold the balance of power with 30 MLAs, Kishor maintained, "I can say I will still be honest," though he acknowledged the question of whether those MLAs would follow his direction.