The political scene in Bihar’s Seemanchal region, which includes the districts of Araria, Kishanganj, Purnia, and Katihar, is becoming tense following a major deletion of voters from the draft electoral roll. The Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision exercise, aimed at cleaning up the voter lists, has sparked a political uproar, especially in this area known for its large Muslim population and its borders with Bangladesh and Nepal.
According to the draft list, an astonishing 7.62 lakh voters have been cut from the four districts. Araria reported the removal of 1,58,072 voters, leaving its electorate at 19,24,414. Kishanganj, which has the highest percentage of Muslims in the state, saw a drop of 1,45,668 voters, bringing its total to 10,86,242. Purnia and Katihar also faced significant losses, with 2,73,920 and 1,84,254 deletions, respectively. The new voter numbers for these districts are now 19,94,511 and 20,44,809.
This region, which includes 24 assembly constituencies, is an important battleground for both the ruling NDA and the main opposition INDIA bloc. The deletions have led to strong criticism from the opposition, who claim that the changes aim to disenfranchise voters who may support the opposition, particularly in a region where communal divisions play a big role in elections. The INDIA bloc has taken the issue to the Supreme Court and has organized protests, accusing the Election Commission of acting on the commands of the ruling party.
The political landscape of Seemanchal became even more complex during the 2020 assembly elections with the emergence of AIMIM. Led by Asaduddin Owaisi, the party won five seats, mostly at the expense of the then-Mahagathbandhan, which is now part of the INDIA bloc. This showed AIMIM’s ability to split the minority vote. While four of its five MLAs have since switched to the RJD, AIMIM’s influence still concerns the INDIA bloc. With the claims and objections
