The Election Commission of India (ECI) has issued a formal notice to Tejashwi Yadav, Leader of the Opposition in the Bihar Assembly and senior RJD leader, disputing his recent claim regarding his voter registration status.
Yadav had alleged during a Saturday press conference that his name was missing from the ongoing revision of Bihar’s electoral rolls. To support his claim, he displayed a voter ID and demonstrated a failed search for his name in the electoral database, suggesting he was no longer eligible to vote or contest elections.
However, the ECI has clarified that the voter ID number shown by Yadav RAB2916120 does not appear to be officially issued. In contrast, the Commission confirmed that Yadav’s authentic electoral entry remains intact. According to official records, he is registered at serial number 416 of polling station 204, located in the library of Bihar Animal Sciences University in Patna. The correct EPIC number tied to his registration is RAB0456228, the same ID he used in the 2015 and 2020 assembly elections.
The clarification was publicly shared by Patna’s district administration via social media platform X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday afternoon. The notice included a copy of the draft voter list showing Yadav’s name, photograph, and relevant details.
Responding to the RJD leader’s accusations, the Election Commission described his claims as unfounded and misleading, reaffirming that his name appears in the most recent electoral roll published on August 1.
During the press conference, Yadav had connected his phone to a screen and searched for the displayed EPIC number, which returned no results. He then remarked that he was seemingly not recognized as a voter anymore and implied this could impact his right to contest elections or even reside in his home.
The ECI, however, called for greater care when making public claims about electoral processes, especially from senior political figures, as such statements could mislead the public and erode trust in the democratic system.
