The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Thursday, 17th July, busted fake claims made by opposition leaders, including Gandhi scion Rahul Gandhi, Congress party leaders Supriya Shrinate, Pawan Khera, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, and others about the commission allowing the BJP to dominate the revision of the voter list in Bihar.
The controversy erupted with Ajit Anjum’s video, which purportedly showed Booth Level Officers (BLOs) signing on behalf of voters during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Patna. The video was shared by several politicians, including Rahul Gandhi, Pawan Khera, Supriya Shrinate, Tejashwi Yadav, and others to claim that the voter list in Bihar was tweaked to benefit the ruling dispensation.
Taking to X, Rahul Gandhi claimed that the Election Commission was caught red-handed stealing votes in the name of ‘SIR’.
But the Election Commission of India was quick to rebut the claims, stating that the suppositions made in the video shared by Rahul Gandhi are false. It also shared a post detailing a comprehensive inquiry undertaken after the video had gone viral.
#ECIFactCheck #SIR #Bihar
The claims made in the video mentioned in this post are false
You may refer to the link provided below for more detailshttps://t.co/qSfwBl6Qh0 https://t.co/O1SznQBoyl
— Election Commission of India (@ECISVEEP) July 17, 2025
The Election Commission also called out Congress, Supriya Shrinate, and Pawan Khera for amplifying false claims made in the video.
#ECIFactCheck #SIR #Bihar
— Election Commission of India (@ECISVEEP) July 17, 2025
#ECIFactCheck #SIR #Bihar
— Election Commission of India (@ECISVEEP) July 17, 2025
The Election Commission also hit back at Tejashwi Yadav’s claims, firmly rejecting the allegations of voter fraud.
Even propagandists masquerading as ‘journalists’ weren’t spared from being held to account by the Election Commission. The ECI fact-checked Abhisar Sharma for spreading fake claims about the SIR in Bihar.
Patna District administration debunks viral video claims by Ajit Anjum; confirms no misconduct by BLOs
The ECI shared a detailed post uploaded by Patna District Administration, debunking the false claims made by opposition parties and leaders about the SIR process in Bihar.
The Patna District Administration has categorically rejected the allegations made in a viral video shared by YouTuber Ajit Anjum, which claimed that government-appointed Booth Level Officers (BLOs) were improperly filling voter forms during the electoral roll revision in Bihar. According to the official press note and supporting documents released by the administration, the accusations are baseless and misleading.
16 जुलाई को अजीत अंजुम, यूट्यूबर द्वारा शीर्षक “कैमरे में कैद सबूत: पटना में हजार वोटर्स के फॉर्म भरकर खुद ही दस्तखत करते मिले BLO" का वीडियो अपलोड किया गया, जिसमें उनके द्वारा यह आरोप लगाया गया कि विशेष गहन पुनरीक्षण, 2025 के दौरान मतदाताओं का गणना प्रपत्र प्रारूप एक प्रखण्ड के… pic.twitter.com/NiNnXUoq45
— District Administration Patna (@dm_patna) July 17, 2025
A high-level inquiry committee, comprising senior officials including the Additional Development Commissioner and the Additional District Magistrate (Law and Order), was promptly constituted to investigate the matter. The probe focused on the BLOs featured in the video and covered multiple booths, notably Booth Nos. 226, 224, 257, 25, and 260. All the BLOs concerned were thoroughly questioned, and the documents shown in the video were carefully reviewed.
The investigation confirmed that no evidence was found of BLOs signing or submitting voter forms on behalf of active voters. The committee clarified that the entries and signatures visible in the video related only to voters marked as ‘Dead’ or ‘Shifted’, which are categories routinely addressed during door-to-door voter verification. These are legitimate actions permitted under the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) standard operating procedures.
The video also identified a woman allegedly committing irregularities; she was confirmed to be Kavita Kumari, the officially appointed BLO for Booth No. 156 in Darbhanga. She was found to be performing her duties in strict adherence to the prescribed voter verification process. Of the 878 voters in her jurisdiction, 725 entries had already been uploaded well before the video surfaced. At no point did she or any other BLO submit forms on behalf of eligible or living voters.
The committee further stated that the lists shown in the viral video had already been digitally uploaded before the video was recorded. Every action taken by the BLOs was duly documented, and their fieldwork was part of the normal electoral roll revision process mandated by the ECI.
In its closing remarks, the Patna administration warned against spreading half-truths or unverified content, noting that such videos could mislead voters and erode public trust in democratic institutions. It urged journalists, media houses, and social media influencers to act responsibly and verify facts before making sensational claims.tration has warned against spreading misinformation without verification and called for public vigilance. It emphasized that some YouTubers and journalists were pushing misleading narratives without checking facts, thereby eroding public trust in electoral processes. The district authorities urged political parties to work in coordination and reminded all stakeholders that BLOs are required to verify the lists submitted by party-appointed BLAs to ensure transparency and accuracy. The entire episode, officials say, is an attempt to politicize routine electoral work.
SIR exercise in Bihar
The SIR is being conducted in Bihar to sanitise and revise the voters’ lists for the upcoming assembly elections in the state. This kind of intensive revision occurred in the state for the last time in 2003. Due to changes such as urban migration, fatalities, new young voters, and the problem of illegal immigrants, a new verification became necessary.
BLOs have been designated to go to houses and ensure the rolls are correct. The objective is straightforward: to register all legitimate voters, eliminate illegitimate ones, and maintain transparency in the procedure.
