Patna: In a major development, Bankipur’s Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) on Sunday issued a notice to Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha over allegations that he was holding two different EPIC numbers.
Sinha has been asked to submit his response by 5 pm on August 14.
ERO issued notice to Sinha after RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav claimed that Sinha’s names were existing in two separate voters’ lists in separate constituencies- Lakhisarai and Bankipur in Patna district with different ages and actresses.
“We conducted research… You can call it a revelation or a fraud, that is up to you and the people of Bihar,” Tejashwi said in a press conference earlier in the day by displaying two EPIC numbers, allegedly belonging to the Deputy CM.
RJD leader alleged that the Bankipur record listed Sinha’s age as 60, while the Lakhisarai list puts it at 57. He provided the EPIC numbers as IAF3939337 for Lakhisarai and AFS0853341 for Bankipur. He claimed
Sinha signed documents for both constituencies during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll, as a result his name was appearing in two places. Calling it “fraud in the voter card as well as in the age,” the RJD leader demanded that an FIR be filed against the Deputy CM.
He also alleged that the Election Commission’s SIR exercise was flawed if such duplication could take place.
On his reply to a notice issued by ERO for Digha assembly constituency, who earlier asked him to submit details of an EPIC card he mentioned during his press conference held on August 2, Tejashwi said he only received the notice on 7 August and had replied the next day, but accused the media of conducting a “trial” before he could formally respond.
“Now, I want to ask from the Election Commission whether it will send a notice to the Patna and Lakhisarai district administrations in connection with the deputy CM episode. If action can be taken against us, why not against him?” he remarked. He also accused BJP of destroying democracy and the constitution.
On Wednesday, the ERO again reminded Yadav to submit the EPIC details, saying the requested documents had still not been provided. Tejashwi had claimed his own name was missing from the draft voter list released on 1 August, and later alleged that his EPIC number had been changed.
