Patna: An investigation has revealed systematic attempts to disenfranchise nearly 80,000 Muslim voters in Bihar’s Dhaka constituency by labeling them as non-citizens. The Reporters’ Collective found that multiple petitions were submitted to the Election Commission seeking mass deletions from the electoral roll, including one filed on the BJP’s Bihar state headquarters letterhead and another in the name of the personal assistant of BJP MLA Pawan Kumar Jaiswal.
The submissions targeted only Muslim voters, with names and voter ID numbers listed in detail. One petition demanded the deletion of 78,384 voters, almost 40 percent of the constituency’s electorate. Such a scale of deletion would drastically alter outcomes in a seat where margins have historically been tight.
Local residents said many Muslims were unaware that their names were under threat, while others expressed fear after hearing about the petitions. Some alleged that digital tools were used to isolate Muslim names from the rolls.
Despite Section 31 of the Representation of the People Act making false claims to manipulate voter lists a punishable offence, no police complaints have been filed by BJP leaders against the alleged misuse of party documents. The district election officer admitted receiving the petitions but refused to share official responses.
Dhaka, a border constituency with a strong Muslim-Yadav presence, has alternated between BJP and RJD over the past decade. With elections approaching, opposition parties say the revelations point to a deliberate attempt to weaken Muslim representation. The controversy also raises questions about Bihar’s ongoing voter roll revision process, which has faced accusations of irregularities and political bias.
