• Source:JND
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Bihar Elections 2025: Hundreds of Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) slips were found dumped in Gudma village of Sarairanjan Assembly constituency in Samastipur district on Saturday, drawing criticism from the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).

The discovery of such a large number of slips outside the designated area caused a political stir ahead of the second phase of  the Bihar Assembly elections  .

RJD Raises Questions 

Tejashwi Yadav-led RJD questioned the Election Commission after finding of the abondoned VVPAT slips. The negligence has raised several questions, especially amidst the continuous allegations of vote rigging levelled by the Opposition.

These VVPAT Slips Are Of Mock Poll: CEC

Reacting to the incident, the CEC Gyanesh Kumar said the Samastipur DM Roshan Kushwaha was directed to visit the spot and inquire. "As these are VVPAT slips of a mock poll, the integrity of the polling process remains uncompromised. Contesting candidates have also been informed by the DM. However, the concerned ARO has been suspended for negligence, and FIR has been also registered," the chief of the poll body said.

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Kushwaha said, "Under the Sarairanjan Assembly constituency, we found some slips near the dispatch centre. I, along with other officials, reached the spot and in the presence of candidates, we took possession of those slips. An FIR is being lodged in this matter. Recommendations have been given for departmental inquiry and to suspend two officials for negligence in this matter"

Meanwhile, the local administration was immediately informed. Upon receiving the information, a team of senior officials, including District Magistrate and District Election Officer Roshan Kushwaha, SP Arvind Pratap Singh, and Deputy Election Officer Vinod Kumar, reached the spot. They inspected the area and began preparations for further action.

The location is said to be half a kilometer away from the dispatch center. While the DM was inspecting the site, independent candidate Kunal Kumar and Jan Suraj candidate Sajjan Mishra also arrived.

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The candidates demanded appropriate action from the administration. Hundreds of supporters also gathered at the spot along with the candidates. People were seen questioning the administrative system. Considering the crowd, a police team was deployed as a precautionary measure.

Sadar SDPO Sanjay Kumar, along with police teams from several police stations, took charge of the situation. An appeal was made to the people through loudspeakers to maintain peace and order.

The DM himself addressed the crowd through a microphone, stating that an investigation would be conducted. It was reported that the administration has seized all the slips. After preliminary investigation, an FIR is being registered at the local police station.

The district administration is suspending the personnel responsible for the negligence.

(With Jagran.com Inputs)

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