Patna: Leader of Opposition and senior RJD leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav on Sunday accused Bihar Deputy Chief Minister and senior BJP leader Vijay Kumar Sinha of possessing two separate voter identity cards and being registered in two different assembly constituencies. He demanded that the Election Commission (EC) should take legal against Sinha.
Speaking to reporters, Yadav claimed that in the draft voter list released earlier this month after the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process, Sinha’s name appears in both the Lakhisarai and Bankipur Assembly constituencies. He further alleged discrepancies in Sinha’s age, recorded as 57 years in Lakhisarai and 60 years in Bankipur.
According to Yadav, Sinha’s dual registration existed even before the SIR began. If Sinha personally signed voter application forms at two locations with the help of Booth Level Officers (BLOs), the EC should issue him a notice and initiate legal proceedings. If the signatures are forged, Yadav said, the entire SIR process is questionable and should be annulled.
Drawing parallels to his own case, Yadav said that when his name was found at two locations on August 2, a propaganda campaign was launched against him before he could respond, with even calls for his arrest. He said he replied to the EC notice the same day and urged the Commission to treat Sinha similarly.
Yadav also criticised the timing of the voter list revision, noting that large parts of Bihar are reeling under severe floods. “Should people focus on saving their lives or run to the Election Commission to get their names back on the voter list?” he asked, alleging that even voters registered before 2003, who, according to EC rules, are not required to submit documents, were being harassed for papers and personal details.
Accusing the Election Commission of acting as a “puppet in the hands of the BJP,” Yadav alleged that it has refused to share details of the 65 lakh names removed from the rolls, including booth numbers and EPIC details, and has made data access more difficult by uploading it as image files instead of text files.
Vowing to continue the RJD’s fight against the “anti-democratic practices” by the BJP, Yadav said his party would soon expose more large-scale irregularities committed by the Election Commission in the electoral process.
