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Ahead of the key MLC polls, the electoral roll for the Patna Teachers’ constituency has come under scrutiny over alleged fake voter entries, mostly originating from private colleges.

Among the complainants is the state’s prestigious Patna Science College, which reported that five fake voters were enrolled under its name while three of its genuine faculty members were excluded from the list.

The Patna Teachers constituency comprises 11,719 voters across Patna, Nawada, and Nalanda districts.

Eight seats for Member of Legislative Council (MLC) — four Teachers and four Graduates constituencies – in Bihar will go to polls on October 23.

The alleged issues were flagged by several colleges to the Electoral Registration Office in Patna over the last six months:

Patna Science College: On October 13, the college wrote to Patna’s Electoral Registration Office stating that five individuals listed as its teachers on the electoral roll were not associated with the institution.

The principal also requested the Electoral Registration Officer to enrol three genuine teachers as voters. None of the three has been included in the final list.

September 29 was the last date for making corrections in the rolls.

Sant Kabir Mahant Vidyanand Ayurvedic Pharmacy (Fatuha): This private institution was found locked twice during official government inspections. However, it has 49 “teachers” on the electoral roll for the constituency.

Another college in Fatuha with a similar name, Sant Kabir Mahanth Vidyanand College, submitted a written undertaking on August 18 stating that it has 17 teachers, 16 of whom are eligible voters. However, the electoral roll lists 33 teachers as voters from this college.

An official from the Patna registration office said: “On August 19, we wrote to the college principal noting that during inspections by local authorities on July 4 and July 21, the college was found closed. We asked the authorities concerned to take appropriate action against the institution.” The official, however, could not explain why all the names from the college were retained on the electoral roll.

ST College of Education (Phulwari Sharif): On August 27, the college wrote to the Electoral Registration Office stating that none of the 32 people enrolled as voters under its name “currently work at the college, nor did they ever work here.” All 32 names, though, remain on the final electoral roll.

Awadhesh Prasad Mahavidyalaya (Masaurhi): On July 11, the college wrote to the Deputy Registration Office in Patna stating that only one of its teachers was eligible to vote. It declared that a voter list letter issued in its name on July 11 was fake and warranted legal action. The final list, however, features six voters from the college, none of whom are associated with it, while excluding the sole genuine teacher.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) manages the targeted revision of electoral rolls, schedules biennial elections, enforces the Model Code of Conduct, and oversees the polling process.

Unlike general elections, MLC polls use physical ballot papers instead of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). Because these elections follow the Single Transferable Vote (STV) proportional representation system, voters indicate their preferences by marking numbers next to candidate names using a special violet-ink pen.

He pointed out that the colleges raised the matter after the electoral roll was already “frozen”.

Another officer, however, said authorities in Patna should have prepared a check list well in advance like some other districts to avoid this issue.

BJP’s sitting MLC Nawal Kishore Yadav is seeking re-election from the Patna Teachers constituency.