Patna: Jan Suraaj Party state president Manoj Bharti on Tuesday questioned the preparation of electoral rolls for Bihar’s upcoming Legislative Council elections, alleging discrepancies in voter lists for the Graduate and Teachers’ constituencies.
Speaking at a press conference at the party office in Pataliputra Colony, Bharti said elections were due in four Graduate and four Teachers’ constituencies in the coming months and argued that the existing system of preparing electoral rolls placed an undue burden on candidates.
According to Bharti, candidates are currently responsible for enrolling voters in these constituencies. He said November 15, 2025 had been set as the deadline for prospective candidates to submit voter lists, following which the Election Commission published the electoral roll on December 31, 2025.
He said a short window from the 1st to the 6th of the month had subsequently been provided for certain amendments.
Jan Suraaj questions voter-list process
Bharti questioned why the Election Commission does not directly prepare electoral rolls for MLC elections in the same way it does for Lok Sabha and Assembly elections.
He suggested that the electoral roll prepared for Assembly elections could include information identifying eligible graduates and teachers. The Election Commission could then use this information to prepare the corresponding MLC electoral rolls and publish them for candidates, he argued.
Bharti said the issue had already been raised by candidates before officials of the Bihar Election Commission and the Chief Electoral Officer.
According to him, candidates were told that the policy originated with the central authorities.
He urged the Central Election Commission to direct state election authorities in states where Legislative Council elections are held to independently prepare and publish electoral rolls within a fixed timeframe.
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Party raises demand for common electoral roll
Jan Suraaj national spokesperson Kumar Saurabh said elections for four Teachers’ and four Graduates’ constituencies in Bihar were expected to be notified soon and that the party would announce its candidates shortly.
Saurabh claimed the party had received reports from several areas alleging large-scale irregularities in MLC electoral rolls.
He said the party was not directly alleging deliberate tampering but maintained that the Chief Electoral Officer of Bihar should investigate the allegations.
Saurabh also called for a common electoral roll for different elections, describing it as a “One Nation, One Election Roll” approach aligned with the principle of “one person, one vote”.
He questioned the need for separate electoral rolls for panchayat, municipal, Assembly and Lok Sabha elections and argued that the integrity of electoral rolls was fundamental to the democratic process.
“If there are irregularities in the electoral roll itself, it casts doubt on the entire functioning of the democratic process,” he said.
Former MLC candidate joins Jan Suraaj
The press conference also saw the induction of Dr Divya Jyoti, a former MLC candidate from the Patna Teachers’ Constituency, into Jan Suraaj.
Bharti welcomed her into the party by presenting her with a traditional gamchha.
Jyoti said she had joined Jan Suraaj along with hundreds of workers and supporters and would work according to the party’s directions and the guidance of its leader, Prashant Kishor.
She said she was drawn to the party’s emphasis on social harmony and unity, as well as its stated focus on education and social justice inspired by the principles of Mahatma Gandhi and B.R. Ambedkar.
Jan Suraaj national spokespersons Kumar Saurabh, Padma Ojha and Rakesh Patel were also present at the event.
