"Arrest Me If...": Prashant Kishor To Poll Body On Dual Voter Entries

The Election Commission, taking note of a news report, has asked poll strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishor to explain the duplication of his name in voter lists of Bihar and West Bengal. Kishor has hit back, asking the Comission why his name was not deleted during the SIR exercise if there was any duplication and challenged the poll body to arrest him if it was his fault.

"If my name appears in two voter lists, the Election Commission should explain why my name wasn't deleted when SIR was effected in Bihar. My name is 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," he said.

Kishor's name, the Commission had said citing a report in The Indian Express, has been included in the electoral roll of Ward No. 621, within the Maniktala Assembly Constituency under North Kolkata Parliamentary Constituency, West Bengal. It is also part of Bihar's Karakat Assembly Constituency.

"As per Section 17 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, no person shall be registered in the electoral rolls of more than one constituency. Violation of this provision attracts penal action under Section 31 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, which provides for imprisonment or fine, or both," read the letter ."Please present your explanation within three days," it added. 

Prashant Kishor's address in Bengal appears as a relic of his days as the campaign advisor of Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee ahead of the 2021 assembly election.

His address, The Indian Express reported, was listed as 121 Kalighat Road, which houses the Trinamool Congress office in Kolkata's Bhabanipur, Banerjee's assembly constituency. 

Duplication of names in voter lists is one of the reasons the Election Commission has cited for undertaking the Special Intensive Revision of voter lists. 

The Opposition parties have alleged that the SIR exercise is a ploy to disenfranchise voters. The Congress has claimed that it is a ploy of the BJP and the Election Commission meant to engineer a huge mandate for the NDA. The Congress has also said SIR will selectively target the poor, who essentially vote for the opposition party.

Both BJP and the Commission have rubbished the allegations.

Prashant Kishor has also slammed the SIR exercise and the BJP.

"SIR was done in Bihar. What difference did it make? Was anyone's name struck off? A few people did face difficulties. BJP can try all it wants, but they might want to delete someone's name, scare someone and bother someone. But if people turn against you, do any SIR or FIR, there will be nobody to save you...," he said while interacting with media today - a day after the poll body announced the nationwide rollout of the revision exercise.