Bihar elections 2025: 'They would be left with nothing to say after my reply,' Tejashwi Yadav to EC over two EPIC numbers

RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav has alleged that election officials in Patna are blaming him for their own mistake by sending him a notice for having two EPIC (voter ID) numbers. The notice was issued last week.

Yadav said, “I have received a notice not from the Election Commission but from the Patna district administration. A good reply is being drafted and upon receipt, they would be left with nothing to say. They are trying to fault me for their own mistake. Whose lapse is it if two EPIC numbers have been issued in my name? After all, I have been casting my vote from only one place.”

Yadav had alleged it was “an attempt to help the ruling BJP-led NDA in the upcoming assembly elections in the state”.

Last week, Yadav had said that an online search for his EPIC number showed “no records found”. He had also claimed that names of several senior bureaucrats had been removed from the draft electoral rolls, calling the revision process flawed and politically motivated.

In response, the Patna district administration shared a screenshot showing the names and photos of Yadav and his father Lalu Prasad in the draft electoral rolls. Yadav, however, stuck to his allegation and said officials had “changed my EPIC number”.

The NDA has demanded that Yadav be tried for allegedly holding two voter ID cards. The district magistrate clarified that the number in official records matched the one Yadav had declared in his 2020 poll affidavit.

Later, the sub-divisional magistrate of Patna (Sadar) issued a letter asking Yadav to hand over the voter ID card “not issued officially” for investigation.

Speaking to reporters before heading to Delhi for an INDIA bloc meeting, Yadav said, “We have many issues to discuss. The country is facing so many crises. The Donald Trump administration has unleashed a tariff offensive against the country, and the Narendra Modi government is maintaining a deafening silence.”

He also responded to former MLA Anant Singh’s challenge, saying, “Our party spokesperson Bantu Singh is the right man to answer such a boast.”

(With inputs from PTI)