Patna: The Election Commission has removed actress Neetu Chandra from her position as a SVEEP (Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation) Icon in Bihar after she made political comments on television coinciding with the announcement of the state assembly election results. Chandra, appointed alongside Pankaj Jha, Chandan Rai, and Kranti Prakash to promote voter engagement, discussed the concept of “Jungle Raj” during the administration of Lalu Prasad and Rabri Devi, while praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, and Home Minister Amit Shah, and emphasizing Bihar’s “double engine” of progress. The Election Commission stated that her statements breached the expected neutrality of SVEEP Icons, who are involved in initiatives aimed at raising awareness and enhancing voter participation.
Chandra had actively engaged in outreach efforts across 18 districts prior to the elections, contributing to Bihar achieving a record voter turnout of 67.13%, the highest since 1951, with 62.98% of men and 71.78% of women voting. During her television appearance, Chandra reflected on the restrictions and threats she experienced in the 1990s under Yadav and Devi’s leadership and connected these historical fears to voter turnout, also commending the advancements in Bihar over the last two decades and noting that Nitish Kumar garnered significant support from women. The Commission did not provide additional information regarding potential scrutiny of other ambassadors.
