‘Not officially issued’: EC seeks Tejashwi Yadav’s explanation over EPIC card used to allege voter roll omission
Patna: The Election Commission has asked Tejashwi Yadav, the RJD leader, to substantiate his claim that his name was removed from Bihar's electoral roll, media reports said.
The poll body has requested the EPIC card number he mentioned during a press conference on Saturday, after which the Commission issued a formal notice, India Today reported.
On August 2, Yadav claimed that his name was absent from the draft voter list, but the Election Commission quickly refuted the claim, stating that his name was in fact listed in the electoral rolls.
In a press conference, the RJD leader displayed his Election Photo Identity Card (EPIC) number and entered it into the Election Commission’s official mobile application, which showed a "no records found" error.
"My name is also not on the voter list. How will I contest the elections?" the RJD leader asked at the presser.
In its notice to Yadav, the EC said: “It is to be informed that in the press conference held on 02.08.2025, you said that your name was not mentioned in the draft voter list. After investigation, it was found that your name is mentioned on serial number 416 of polling station number 204 (Library Building of Bihar Animal Science University), whose EPIC number is RAB0456228.”
The EC also pointed out that Yadav’s EPIC number was listed as RAB2916120 in his complaint — which, according to their preliminary investigation, does not appear to be officially issued.
The poll body has now asked Yadav to provide details of the EPIC number he referred to, including a copy of the card, for a thorough investigation.
“As per your quote from your press conference, your EPIC number is RAB2916120. As per preliminary investigation, EPIC number RAB2916120 does not appear to be officially issued. Therefore, you are requested to kindly provide the details of the mentioned EPIC card (along with the original copy of the card) mentioned by you in the press conference, so that it can be thoroughly investigated," the poll body added.
The demand for clarification came after the BJP accused Tejashwi Yadav of committing a crime by allegedly holding two voter IDs.
The BJP raised concerns over the discrepancy in EPIC numbers and questioned whether Yadav misrepresented facts to the Election Commission.
BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra stated: “The Congress and RJD have been thoroughly exposed. Did you (Yadav) lie under oath? Did you present wrong facts to the Election Commission?”
This controversy began when Tejashwi Yadav publicly entered his EPIC number into the Election Commission’s official mobile app during the press conference. The app, however, returned a “no records found” error.
Following this, the Election Commission promptly released a copy of the electoral rolls, confirming that Yadav’s name was indeed listed, contrary to his claims.
The BJP's allegations have now added fuel to the fire, accusing the RJD leader of falsifying details, with the EC now seeking clarification to verify the matter.
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