Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav claimed that his name had been removed from Bihar’s voter list. He tried to show his record by entering the EPIC number (Rab2916120) at a press conference, but showed that number “No Records Found”. Tejashwi called it an attack on democracy and said that if he is not named, he cannot even contest elections.
Tejashwi alleged that the names of 65 lakh voters in the state have been removed from the list. But the Election Commission (ECI) described his claim as false and said that Tejashwi’s real EPIC number is Rab0456228, which was also recorded in the year 2020 and is also present in the current draft voter list. The name is recorded at serial number 416 on polling station 204.
The Patna DM and the Election Commission clarified that the EPIC number Rab2916120 mentioned by Tejashwi was never officially released. The Commission has started an investigation, considering it as a fake number and the possibility of foreari is also being considered. The BJP retaliated at Tejashwi, saying that having two EPIC numbers is illegal in itself and raises the question whether efforts are being made to deliberately create confusion.
At the same time, RJD says that Tejashwi’s record has been tampered with after the press conference. He also alleged that his EPIC number has been changed by the government, but the Election Commission says that the EPIC numbers are not changed under external pressure and the entire system is transparent.
The Election Commission also informed that no formal objection has been received from any booths about the draft voter list at more than 90 thousand booths in Bihar. This makes it clear that Tejashwi’s claim can only be a political stunt. At present, the Commission has been involved in a detailed investigation in view of the seriousness of the case and has assured to bring out the truth in the coming days.
