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A political storm has erupted in Bihar after former Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav alleged that his name was missing from the draft electoral roll released on August 1, 2025 following the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) conducted by the Election Commission.
Tejashwi Yadav, who is the current Leader of the Opposition in the Bihar Assembly, held a press conference on August 2 criticising the SIR exercise in the state ahead of the polls.
There has been no transparency to the process, he claimed and alleged that the process was started without taking the political parties onboard.
He further went on to claim that the Draft Electoral Rolls, published after the month-long SIR in Bihar, did not feature his name.
To substantiate his claim, Yadav entered his EPIC number – RAB2916120, a 10-digit unique identification number assigned to each voter, on the official application of the Election Commission. The result said, “No records found,” making him cast suspicion on the credibility of the SIR.
“Mine (name in the draft electoral list) is not there either. How will I contest the elections?…You have to be a voter of Bihar to fight the polls,” he remarked.
The comments come in the wake of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in Bihar by the Election Commission in the run-up to the state assembly elections.
According to the EC, the exercise was initiated to ensure “that the names of all eligible citizens are included in the Electoral Roll (ER) so as to enable them to exercise their franchise, no ineligible voter is included in the electoral rolls and also to introduce complete transparency in the process of addition or deletion of electors in the electoral rolls.”
The Election Commission released the draft electoral roll for Bihar on August 1, 2025 following a month-long process, listing 7.24 crore voters in the state, with 65 lakh names being dropped citing death or migration.
While the Election Commission maintains that the exercise was result of a long standing demand from various political parties across the spectrum, demanding ‘integrity’ in preparing error-free electoral rolls, many including RJD and the Congress have opposed the move claiming it to be a ploy by the ruling party to influence voting results.
The Patna District Administration swiftly responded to Yadav’s claims, citing an “investigation” and asserting that his name was in fact listed in the draft electoral list.
It further added that Yadav is currently registered at Polling Station 204, Library building of Bihar Animal Science University, serial number 416.
Yadav’s EPIC number, which he also mentioned in the Bihar Elections 2020 affidavit, is RAB0456228, the EC said, sharing extracts from the electoral roll.
The Electoral Registration Officer Patna Sardar, issued a letter reiterating that Tejashwi was listed as serial number 416 of polling station number 204 (Library Building of Bihar Animal Science University). The letter further stated that his valid EPIC number is RAB0456228 as opposed to the RAB2916120 stated by him during the press briefing.
“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,” the letter added, directing him to provide the EPIC card for “thorough investigation.”
An official said that the EPIC card RAB2916120, which Yadav mentioned in the press meet, “has been found to be non-existent, and records from the last more than 10 years have been checked,” and that no records have been found for it “yet”.
“It is highly likely that the second card was never made through an official channel. Further inquiries are on to understand the reality of the second voter card number… whether it is a forged document,” the official said as per news agency PTI.
Reacting to the EC’s ‘clarification,’ the RJD leader said that the EPIC number cannot be changed. “If it’s changed, how is it changed? If my EPIC number could be changed, then how many people’s EPIC number was changed?… This is a conspiracy to cut people’s names from the voter list…” he said. He further alleged that the Election Commission changed his EPIC number at the behest of the centre.
While the EC has asserted that Yadav’s name is indeed listed in the electoral roll, the controversy has left a chain of unanswered questions.
For instance, does Yadav possess two EPIC numbers? Was the EPIC number that he entered during the press conference simply a mistake, or an election stunt to malign the EC? Did his “political stunt” backfire?
The controversy, however, has landed Yadav into trouble with a police complaint being filed against him for allegedly having two voter ID cards.
The Opposition parties have been protesting against the SIR, alleging it to be an exercise for disenfranchising voters in Bihar. LoP and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi accused the Election Commission of “vote theft,” and warned that the poll body will have “no place to hide” once the evidence, which he compared to an atom bomb, is revealed.
BJP leader Sambit Patra termed Gandhi’s “atom bomb” comment as “undemocratic and undignified,” adding that if opposition “explodes an atom bomb, we will save the Constitution.”
With the Mahagathbandhan and NDA already locking horns prior to the release of election schedule, Bihar’s pre-poll season is likely to witness many more political storms.
Sources
X Post By ANI, Dated August 2, 2025
Report By Money Control, Dated August 1, 2025
Release By ECI, Dated June 24, 2025
Facebook Post By Patna District Administration, Dated August 2, 2025
X Post By Patna District Administration, Dated August 3, 2025
Report By PTI, Dated August 2, 2025
Report By PTI, Dated August 1, 2025
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