A woman from Bihar’s Siwan district, Minta Devi, has found herself at the center of a political storm after her age was erroneously recorded as 124 years in the state’s draft electoral roll. The error has sparked national headlines, Opposition protests, and questions over the integrity of the ongoing Special Summary Revision (SSR) of voter lists.
Who is Minta Devi?
Minta Devi, a 35-year-old resident of Arjainipur village in Siwan district, is a first-time voter. She is the wife of Dhananjay Kumar Singh and was registered under Booth No. 94 in the Daraundha Assembly segment of the Siwan Lok Sabha constituency. Her name appeared at Serial No. 526 in the draft list.
However, the electoral roll lists her year of birth as 1900, making her 124 years old — a glaring mistake. In the section where a house number should be written, her husband’s name was entered instead.
The political firestorm
Upon discovering the anomaly, Opposition leaders including Priyanka Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and Mallikarjun Kharge launched a dramatic protest outside Parliament in Delhi. Wearing T-shirts bearing Minta Devi’s photo and the slogan "124 Not Out", they accused the Election Commission (EC) of colluding with the BJP in what they called "vote chori" (vote theft).
Rahul Gandhi claimed that this was not an isolated case and warned of “unlimited” similar entries, implying a larger manipulation in the electoral rolls ahead of the upcoming Bihar assembly polls.
What went wrong?
According to an official press release from the Siwan District Public Relations Office, Minta Devi had applied for voter registration online using Form-6, in which she mistakenly entered her date of birth as 15.07.1900 instead of 1990.
Following the publication of the draft electoral roll on August 1, 2025, the Booth Level Officer (BLO) contacted Minta Devi and informed her of the error. She acknowledged the mistake and submitted Form-8 on August 10, 2025, requesting correction. Her correction request has been recorded under Reference ID S04109G8C1008251200004, and officials confirmed that the claim will be resolved within the official timeline.
Her father-in-law, Tej Bahadur Singh, blamed the BLO for the oversight, calling it a clear administrative failure.
Election commission's response
The EC has defended the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR), arguing it was essential as Bihar hadn’t undergone such a revision since 2004. The Commission stressed that public objections and corrections are being accepted until September 1, and over 10,500 forms have already been submitted for corrections across the state.
The EC maintained that the Minta Devi case is an individual clerical error, not evidence of a systemic problem.
