Election Commission Issues Notice To Tejashwi Yadav, Seeks Clarification Over His Second Voter ID Claim

Patna: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has issued a notice to Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav, asking him to provide an explanation regarding the EPIC card number he mentioned during a press conference on August 2. According to the ECI, Tejashwi Yadav claimed that his name was missing from the draft electoral roll published as part of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) drive. However, the poll body asserted that his name is indeed listed in the electoral roll and also provided documents in support of their assertion. 

In the notice issued by the Election Commission, the concerned officials have asked RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav to provide documentation to support his claim that his name was deleted from Bihar's electoral roll. According to the ECI, Yadav's name is listed in the draft voter list at polling station number 204, Library Building of Bihar Animal Science University.

The controversy began when Tejashwi Yadav claimed in a press conference that his name was not on the voter list, prompting the ECI to release a copy of the electoral rolls showing his details. However, he had mentioned a different EPIC number during the press conference, which the ECI claims does not appear to be officially issued.

The notice, issued by the Sub Divisional Magistrate of Patna Sadar-cum-Electoral Registration Officer for Digha assembly constituency, stated that Tejashwi mentioned his EPIC number as RAB2916120 during the press conference. However, according to the ECI, his name is listed at serial number 416 of polling station number 204, with an EPIC number RAB0456228. The poll body has asked Yadav to provide details about the EPIC number he mentioned, along with the original EPIC card, for a detailed investigation.

The ECI's notice stated that the former Bihar Deputy CM should provide the details of the mentioned EPIC card, along with the original copy of the card, for thorough investigation. 

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) also accused the RJD leader of committing a crime by allegedly keeping two voter ID cards.

What Tejashwi Yadav Claimed

Earlier, RJD's Tejashwi Yadav had expressed concerns over the voter list revision process, questioning the credibility of officials handling the revision and alleging that the process is designed to exclude marginalised communities. He had also claimed that 20,000 to 30,000 names have been removed from every Assembly constituency, raising questions about the transparency and fairness of the process.

His claims stirred controversy across the nation, which were strongly refuted by the Election Commission of India.

Meanwhile, amid Tejashwi's allegations of removal of his name from the voter list, the ECI's investigation revealed that his name is indeed on the voter list, but the EPIC number mentioned by him does not match the one on record. The poll body has asked him to clarify this discrepancy, which will be thoroughly investigated.