A major administrative lapse during the Bihar Assembly elections surfaced on Saturday after a large number of VVPAT (Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail) slips were found scattered along a roadside in Samastipur district. The Election Commission immediately suspended an assistant returning officer (ARO) and ordered a criminal case against him for negligence, even as it asserted that the integrity of polling remains unaffected.

The slips were discovered near a college in the Sarairanjan assembly segment, not far from where polling teams had been stationed. A video showing bundles of VVPAT slips lying on the ground went viral on social media, triggering concerns among voters and prompting opposition parties to allege administrative incompetence.

The Chief Electoral Officer’s office said the district magistrate had been asked to visit the spot and conduct a detailed inquiry. Preliminary assessment showed the slips belonged to a mock poll — a test run conducted before actual voting begins to verify the functioning of the EVM-VVPAT system.

“As these are VVPAT slips of a mock poll, the integrity of the polling process remains uncompromised. The contesting candidates have also been informed by the DM. However, the ARO is being suspended for negligence and an FIR is being registered against him,” the CEO’s office said in its statement.

Election officials said that while mock poll slips do not affect actual votes in any way, their mishandling represents a serious breach of protocol. Each mock poll packet must be sealed, accounted for and stored securely.

The district administration has formed a team to investigate how the slips ended up outside the designated storage area. Officials are also examining whether other staff members were involved in the lapse or failed to follow proper disposal norms.

The incident occurred a day after the first phase of polling across 121 seats on November 6. While the EC reiterated that the episode has no bearing on the votes cast, it has heightened public scrutiny over the ongoing electoral process, especially as the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise is simultaneously underway in multiple states.