Bizarre 'Bihar': Woman’s Voter ID Card Features CM Nitish Kumar's Photo

Amid the SIR by the ECI, a strange case has come to light from the state where a woman’s voter ID card has gone viral. It's not due to her identity details, but because of the photograph it carries as it features CM Nitish Kumar's pic.

A Special Intensive Revision of the electoral roll is underway in Bihar by the Election Commission of India. Bihar is going to the polls around November this year and ahead of the polls, the voters' list is being updated to weed out duplicates and fake voters. Amid the SIR by the ECI, a strange case has come to light from the state where a woman’s voter ID card has gone viral. It's not due to her identity details, but because of the photograph it carries. Instead of her image, the voter ID card bears a picture of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. 

Yes, you read it right. The incident came to light on Wednesday during the statewide shutdown (Bihar Bandh), when Chandan Kumar, a resident of Jaypal Patti in the Madhepura municipal area, brought the matter to the attention of the media. Holding up his wife Abhilasha Kumari’s voter ID, he pointed out that while all personal details, including her name, were correct, the photograph on the card appeared to be that of CM Nitish Kumar.

According to Chandan, the card was received nearly two and a half months ago through the local post office. The envelope contained correct details on the outside, and everything seemed in order until they looked at the photograph. Shockingly, instead of his wife's image, the card featured what looked like an official photograph of the Chief Minister, reported NDTV.

He further claimed that when he approached the local Booth Level Officer (BLO) to report the mistake, he was advised not to share the issue publicly, said the report.

Raising serious questions about the voter ID issuance process, Chandan Kumar said that this type of mistake is not common. He added that a CM's photo on a woman's voter card is a major lapse. "This shows gross negligence on the part of the agency or personnel responsible for issuing these IDs," he said.

The incident has sparked conversation both locally and online, with many questioning the integrity and oversight of official identity documentation processes in the state.