Patna: RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav has sparked controversy amid the ongoing voter list revision in Bihar, accusing Deputy Chief Minister and BJP leader Vijay Kumar Sinha of holding two separate Electors Photo Identity Cards (EPICs) with different ages and constituencies.
The Election Commission mandates that each voter have only one EPIC number.
Yadav Alleges ‘Double Voting’, Questions EC’s Role
Addressing the media, Yadav claimed Sinha’s name appears in both Bankipur and Lakhisarai Assembly segments, with EPIC numbers AFS0853341 (Bankipur, age 60) and IAF3939337 (Lakhisarai, age 57). He alleged the Deputy CM “either knowingly obtained two votes” or the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process was “a complete fraud”.
He further charged that Sinha’s name features in separate sections of both constituencies’ voter lists, and that he may have voted twice in different phases of elections. “If I am accused of having a fake EPIC, will action be taken against the Deputy CM too?” Yadav asked, accusing the BJP of “finishing off democracy and the Constitution”.
Yadav also alleged the EC has facilitated such discrepancies to benefit BJP supporters, questioning how the Deputy CM’s name appeared in both draft lists. He demanded an FIR against Sinha.
Sinha Denies Wrongdoing, Hits Back at ‘Jungle Raj’s Prince’
In response, Sinha confirmed his family previously lived in Bankipur and said he had applied to have his name removed from its voter list after moving to Lakhisarai. He admitted both entries existed temporarily, but insisted this was due to the deletion process being incomplete.
Rejecting the allegations, he accused Mr Yadav of spreading misinformation. “Jungle raj’s prince commits fraud. We don’t commit such actions,” Mr Sinha said, adding that those in constitutional positions should not “malign politics without proper knowledge”.
Amid the war of words, the Patna Electoral Registration Officer has asked Yadav to provide the EPIC details he mentioned in his August 2 press conference by August 8 for investigation. The RJD leader has claimed his own EPIC number was changed and his name omitted from the August 1 draft list.
The controversy comes as the voter list revision ahead of state elections has already triggered opposition allegations of mass voter deletion, that are charges the Election Commission has dismissed.
