Did the ECI Really Issue a Voter Certificate to a Dog in Bihar?

Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- The ECI has debunked claims of a dog being registered to vote.
- Political figures amplified the viral misinformation.
- The integrity of the voter registration process has been called into question.
- The ECI emphasizes the importance of legitimate voter documentation.
- Public reaction highlights the need for careful verification of information.
New Delhi, July 30 (NationPress) The Election Commission of India (ECI) has strongly refuted claims circulating on social media regarding a dog named “Dog Babu” supposedly being issued a residence certificate under Bihar's Special Intensive Revision of Electoral Roll (SIR) initiative, which would have made it eligible to vote.
This claim, propagated by several political figures including Shiv Sena(UBT)'s Priyanka Chaturvedi, Congress’ Supriya Shrinate, and activist Yogendra Yadav, featured what seemed to be an official residence certificate with details humorously attributed to a dog, such as “Kutta Babu” and “Kuttiya Devi”.
The emergence of this document sparked widespread ridicule and concern regarding the credibility of the voter registration process.
In response, the ECI clarified the matter under its #ECIFactCheck initiative, categorizing the document as “INCORRECT”.
The Commission affirmed: “The vote of every citizen is important. No voter in Bihar has presented such a document to the Election Commission.”
This statement highlighted that no legitimate residence certificate has been officially submitted or recognized in any electoral context. The circulated document seems to have been fabricated or manipulated to incite political turmoil during the SIR campaign, which aims to refine and validate voter rolls in the state.
Bihar's Revenue Department officials, whose stamp appears on the fraudulent certificate, confirmed that the image is altered and was not issued by any authorized governmental entity. Moreover, the certificate ID number and QR code visible in the image do not match any valid record in the state database.
This controversy surfaced amidst rising political tensions, with opposition parties accusing the government of mishandling the electoral roll update process.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and various Congress leaders derided the ECI, implying that under the BJP-led administration, even animals could potentially be registered as voters.