Rahul Gandhi Enjoys Tea with Seven Bihar Voters Declared Dead by EC

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The unusual scene unfolded in Raghopur in Bihar’s Vaishali District. The seven voters smiled for the cameras and held their voter IDs in hands. Their message was clear: We are alive — and democracy is in danger

NEW DELHI/RAGHOPUR — Congress stalwart and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, had a rather enlightening experience on Wednesday. He had tea with seven voters from Bihar who were declared “dead” by the Election Commission. Yes, you read that right — dead people sipping tea with a prominent politician. It’s not every day you get to have a high tea with the dearly departed, is it?

The unusual scene unfolded in Raghopur in Bihar’s Vaishali District. The seven voters, Ramikbal Ray, Harendra Ray, Lalmuni Devi, Vachiya Devi, Lalwati Devi, Punam Kumari, and Munna Kumar, sipped tea with Rahul Gandhi, smiling for the cameras and holding their voter IDs in hands. Their message was clear: We are alive — and democracy is in danger.

The seven ‘dead’ people were quite amused by their situation. Harendra Ray quipped, “We were told we are dead. But as you can see, we are sitting here,” with a hint of sarcasm.

Raghopur constituency is represented by Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader and former deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav. Despite completing the mandatory paperwork during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, the names of these voters were struck off the list.

“We were told we are dead. But as you can see, we are sitting here,” said Harendra Ray. “I submitted all the documents. Still, my name is gone. How can this happen without someone’s approval?”

The controversy has raised serious questions about the transparency of the SIR process. The Election Commission has not published the names of those declared “dead,” “migrated,” or “shifted.” Political parties claim that deletions are being done quietly and selectively.

“Our teams managed to get this information informally from two or three polling booths,” a Congress leader said. “If seven voters in a small sample have been wrongly deleted, imagine what is happening across the constituency. This is just the tip of the iceberg.”

Opposition leaders are calling this more than a clerical mistake. “This is not an error. It is political disenfranchisement in plain sight,” alleged a senior RJD functionary.

Rahul Gandhi, who is in Bihar, seized the opportunity to highlight what he called “a systematic attack on democracy.”

“When living voters are declared dead, it is not just their names being erased — it is the death certificate of democracy itself,” Gandhi told reporters after meeting the affected voters. “The Election Commission must explain who ordered these deletions. The truth is, the BJP wants to win by stealing votes, not by earning them.”

The revelations in Bihar come on the heels of Gandhi’s exposure of “Vote Chori” (vote theft) in a Bengaluru constituency, where thousands of names were allegedly removed in a similar exercise. In that case, Opposition parties accused the ruling BJP of using private agencies and manipulating voter lists to its advantage.

The fact that these deletions occurred in Raghopur — a politically sensitive seat held by Tejashwi Yadav — has added a sharp edge to the controversy. Raghopur is a traditional RJD stronghold, and any large-scale voter removal here could alter electoral dynamics.

“This is targeted disenfranchisement,” said RJD spokesperson Chitranjan Gagan. “Why are these so-called ‘dead voters’ from areas that overwhelmingly support Tejashwi Yadav? Why has the EC refused to share full lists?”

Despite mounting questions, the Election Commission has not issued a detailed clarification on the Raghopur case. 

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