Patna: Jan Suraaj on Tuesday questioned the process of preparing electoral rolls for the upcoming MLC elections in Bihar. Party state president Manoj Bharti demanded that the Election Commission should prepare the electoral rolls for teachers’ and graduates’ constituencies, while national spokesperson Kumar Saurabh called for a “one nation, one electoral roll”.Addressing a news conference at the party office here, Bharti said elections to four teachers’ and graduates’ constituencies were likely to be held in the next one or two months. He said that under the existing system, candidates are required to prepare and submit the electoral rolls.He said Nov 15, 2025, was fixed as the deadline for submission of the voter lists, while the Election Commission published the electoral rolls by Dec 31. He said a short window was subsequently opened from Sept 1 to 6 for making corrections.“Why does the Election Commission not take responsibility for preparing the voter list for MLC elections, as it does for Lok Sabha and assembly elections?” Bharti questioned.He suggested that while preparing assembly electoral rolls, officials could identify voters who are graduates or teachers and use the information to prepare voter list for MLC election. This, he said, would ensure that candidates receive the lists in time to plan their campaigns.Bharti added that candidates had raised the issue with election officials and the chief electoral officer, who, according to him, said the policy was framed at the Centre. He urged the Election Commission to direct state election authorities to prepare and publish MLC voter lists well in advance.Party national spokesperson alleged that the party had received information from several places about discrepancies in MLC voter lists, while clarifying that Jan Suraaj was not alleging that irregularities had been committed. He called for an investigation and called for “one nation, one electoral roll”.Meanwhile, former MLC candidate from Patna Teachers’ constituency Divya Jyoti joined Jan Suraaj along with her supporters. She said she was influenced by the party’s and Prashant Kishor’s emphasis on social harmony, justice and education.
