Ex-Rajya Sabha MP Rakesh Sinha Under Question After Voting in Two States in Same Year

Introduction

A controversy has erupted after social media posts showed *Prof. Rakesh Sinha, former **Rajya Sabha MP, apparently voting in *two different states within the same year — Delhi and Bihar — months after his parliamentary term officially ended in July 2024.

The Viral Posts

Two posts shared from Prof. Sinha’s verified account have sparked the debate.

• The first post, dated *February 5, 2025, shows him casting his vote in the *Delhi Assembly elections.
• The second, dated November 6, 2025, shows him voting in his **native village Manserpur, Begusarai (Bihar), during the state polls.

Both posts feature photos of Sinha showing his inked finger, with captions indicating he exercised his voting right in each location.

The apparent timeline has raised questions: Did he officially change his voter registration from Delhi to Bihar within the same year — or did he vote twice?

Questions Over Voter Address and Eligibility

According to the Election Commission’s rules, a person can only be registered as a voter in one constituency at a time.
If a voter relocates, they must formally apply for deletion of their previous voter entry before registering at the new address.

Critics online are now questioning whether Prof. Sinha followed this procedure before voting again in Bihar.
Several users pointed out that as a former *Rajya Sabha member representing Bihar, Sinha was earlier based in *Delhi during his tenure — but after his term ended in mid-2024, he may have shifted residence back to his hometown.

However, the timeline gap between February and November 2025 has raised doubts about whether such a transfer of voter registration was processed legally.

Opposition and Public Reactions

Political leaders and social media users were quick to react to the screenshots, with many calling for a clarification from the Election Commission of India (ECI).

A Congress spokesperson posted,

“How can one person vote in two states in the same year? Was the voter list updated properly or was there misuse of voter rights?”

Civic groups have also urged the *ECI to verify the authenticity of the records, as voting twice in the same election year would constitute a *violation of Section 31 of the Representation of the People Act, which prohibits dual registration or multiple voting.

What Rakesh Sinha Has Said

As of now, Prof. Sinha has not issued any official statement addressing the matter.
His social media accounts remain active, and both posts — showing the separate voting days — are still visible publicly.

Supporters argue that there is *no evidence of wrongdoing, suggesting that he might have *legitimately changed his address after leaving Parliament and registered as a voter in Bihar before the state elections.
They claim that such changes are common for public representatives who return to their home constituencies post-tenure.

Legal Perspective

Election experts say that the issue depends on documentation and timing.
If Prof. Sinha applied for voter transfer after February and before the Bihar polls in November, it would be legal.
However, if both registrations remained active simultaneously, it could amount to a breach of electoral law.

A senior election official explained,

“The law permits relocation of voter registration, but dual entries in two states’ rolls at the same time are prohibited. Only the ECI’s official records can clarify this situation.”

In Summary

• Former Rajya Sabha MP Rakesh Sinha posted photos of voting in Delhi (Feb 2025) and Bihar (Nov 2025).
• His Rajya Sabha term ended in July 2024.
• Questions have arisen about whether he legally changed his voter registration between the two states.
• The Election Commission may now be called to verify records and provide clarification.

Conclusion

The online debate over Prof. Rakesh Sinha’s voting posts has once again highlighted the need for transparency in voter registration and stricter monitoring of electoral rolls.
While the facts remain to be verified, the incident underscores how social media posts can spark scrutiny of public figures and bring electoral compliance under the spotlight.

For now, all eyes are on the Election Commission to determine whether this was a lawful relocation or a potential case of voting irregularity.