Bihar SIR: Highest additions in Magadh, most deletions in Seemanchal

PATNA: Bihars Magadh division saw the highest number of new voters added, while the Muslim-dominated Seemanchal region reported the highest number of deletions in the final voter list released by the Election Commission on Tuesday. The list was published after a Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls ahead of the coming election. The final list now has 7.42 crore voters. Nearly 42 lakh names were removed, and 21.53 lakh new voters were added. Earlier in August, the draft roll had shown 7.89 crore voters. Nearly 65 lakh names were deleted during the revision, which opposition parties criticised as a hurried exercise in a poll-bound state. Seemanchal, which includes Kishanganj, Katihar, Araria, and Purnea, reported the highest 7.7 percent deletions. Kishanganj alone saw 9.69 percent of names removed, followed by Purnea at 8.41 percent, Katihar at 7.12 percent, and Araria at 5.6 percent. The states average voter deletion rate is 5.9 percent. Additions in Seemanchal stood at 2.4 percent, almost equal to Bihars overall rate of 2.3 percent. In the 2020 Assembly polls, the RJD-Congress-led Grand Alliance won 7 of Seemanchals 24 seats, the NDA won 12, and AIMIM bagged 5, though four AIMIM MLAs later joined the RJD. Gopalganj district recorded the highest deletions in the state at 12.13 percent. It is the home district of RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav. In 2020, the NDA won four of its six seats, while the Grand Alliance took two. The Magadh division, on the other hand, saw the highest addition of voters, at 2.6 percent, across its seven districts. Patna topped the list within Magadh, with a 3.4 percent rise, adding 1.6 lakh new voters. In 2020, the Grand Alliance had dominated Magadh, winning 30 of 47 seats, while the NDA managed only 17. The NDA had also performed poorly in the Shahabad region, which includes Bhojpur, Kaimur, Buxar, and Rohtas. The BJP has now shifted its focus to Magadh to improve its performance in the 2025 polls. Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently visited Gaya and launched development projects worth `12,000 crore, signalling the NDAs push in the region. Union minister and HAM leader Jitan Ram Manjhi said, We have to improve our performance in Magadh. This is in the knowledge of the top NDA leaders, who are busy planning the poll strategy for the region. The BJP has also brought back Bhojpuri singer-actor Pawan Singh, hoping his popularity will boost its chances in crucial seats in the coming elections.