In Tejashwi Yadav Row, Poll Body Sources Hint At Fake Voter ID

Tejashwi Yadav, a voter in Patna and a former Bihar Deputy Chief Minister, connected his phone to a large screen at a press conference in the state capital and tried to search his own EPIC number - a 10-digit unique identification number assigned to each voter - which threw up the result "no records found".

The Election Commission sources, however, insist that Mr Yadav's name is there in the Draft Electoral Rolls published on Friday after the month-long Special Intensive Revision, a voter list verification process. 

"Now look! I am myself not registered as a voter. This disqualifies me from contesting elections. Perhaps, I cease to be treated as a citizen and stand deprived of the right to live in this house," claimed Mr Yadav, now the leader of the opposition in the state assembly, adding that he was not given any receipt by the booth-level officer who came to his place with an enumeration form.

Patna District Magistrate (DM) Dr Thiyagarajan SM clarified that Tejashwi Yadav's EPIC number, as mentioned in his 2020 election affidavit, matches the one in the current electoral roll, suggesting no change or deletion.

"The name of the leader of the opposition is definitely there. The claim that his name is not there is completely wrong. His name is still there at the booth where he used to vote, and it is there in the public domain, everyone can see it," said the District Magistrate

The top official hinted that Tejashwi Yadav might be looking at a different EPIC card or number, which could be confusing.

The poll body said that Mr Yadav's name is included in the draft voter list at serial number 416.

More than 65 lakh names were left out of Bihar's draft electoral rolls, according to the poll body. Patna accounts for the highest number of missing voters with 3.95 lakh names not included. 

"Tejaswi Prasad Yadav used Electoral Roll with EPIC No. RAB0456228 for filling his nomination papers on affidavit in 2020. His name is there in the Draft Electoral Rolls published as per SIR on 1 Aug. ⁠His baseless argument that his name was removed has already been refuted by ECI," poll body sources told NDTV.

The sources said another EPIC No. RAB2916120 has been "found to be non-existing", adding that no record is for this second number. 

More than ten-year-old records have been checked, the sources said.

"It is highly likely that the second EPIC was never made through an official channel. Further inquiries are on to understand the reality of the second EPIC number, whether that is a forged document," the sources added. 

Tejashwi Yadav's party, the Rashtriya Janata Dal, has countered the poll body sources saying "that there is no possibility of changing the EPIC number".