NEW DELHI, Aug 2: The former Bihar deputy chief minister and a voter in Patna Tejashwi Yadav 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. He also said he was not given any receipt by the booth-level officer who came to his place with an enumeration form.
Later in the day, the Patna District Administration conducted an investigation in this regard and clarified that the name of the RJD leader was registered in the draft voter list. “Currently, his name is listed at polling station number 204, the library building of Bihar Animal Sciences University, with serial number 416. Previously, his name was recorded at the library building of Bihar Animal Sciences University, polling station number 171, with serial number 481,” the district administration said in X, Patna District Magistrate (DM) Dr Thiyagarajan SM clarified. The top official hinted that Tejashwi Yadav might be looking at a different EPIC card or number, which could be confusing.
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.
“Tejashwi 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 said. 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.
Mr Yadav shot back, “The online method is what more people have access to. Would you expect someone residing outside Bihar to come down to look up his name in the electoral rolls? My point is to emphasise that when people like us are at the receiving end, what to speak of the common people. I have got to hear that even an IAS officer couple has found their names missing.”
The RJD leader had recently caused a flutter by threatening to “boycott” the upcoming polls, alleging that the ECI was trying to “help” the ruling NDA through the special intensive revision. Mr Yadav also remarked wryly, “I would like to see if any BJP leader also has his name missing in the draft rolls.”
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.” The party said Bihar’s draft roll published on Friday was a “murder of democracy and snatching away voter rights.”
Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister and senior BJP leader Samrat Choudhary came out with a post on his X handle, accusing Mr Yadav of “lacking the qualifications” to do a proper search and find his name. “Your name is very much alongside that of your father, respected Lalu Prasad [RJD supremo]. You would do better to shut your shop dealing in fraudulent and false claims,” Mr Choudhary claimed.
Following the completion of the month-long Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, the ECI on Friday published the draft electoral rolls for Bihar. According to the ECI, there was no compiled list made available, but voters can check their names on the ECI’s website.
(Manas Dasgupta)