ECI Demands Tejashwi Yadav’s EPIC Details Amid Electoral Roll Controversy
Patna, August 3, 2025 — The Election Commission of India (ECI) has issued a formal request to Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader and Bihar’s Leader of Opposition, Tejashwi Yadav, to provide details of his Electors Photo Identity Card (EPIC) following a controversy over discrepancies in the state’s draft electoral rolls. The move comes after Yadav alleged on August 2, 2025, that his name was missing from the voter list published on August 1, 2025, as part of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in Bihar.
During a press conference in Patna on Saturday, Yadav displayed an EPIC card with the number RAB2916120, claiming he used it to vote in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. He demonstrated an online search on the ECI’s official website, which returned a “no records found” error for this number, alleging that his exclusion from the voter list was part of a broader conspiracy to disenfranchise voters ahead of the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections. Yadav further accused the ECI of acting as a “cell of the BJP” and questioned how he could contest the elections without being listed.
The ECI swiftly countered Yadav’s claims, labeling them “baseless” and releasing an extract of the draft electoral roll showing his name listed at serial number 416, polling station number 204 (Library Building of Bihar Animal Science University) in the Digha Assembly constituency, with a different EPIC number, RAB0456228. According to ECI sources, this number was used by Yadav in his nomination affidavit for the 2020 Assembly elections and has been consistent in electoral rolls since at least 2015.
In a letter issued on Sunday, August 3, 2025, the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) of the Digha constituency wrote to Yadav, stating, “According to you, from the quote of your press conference, your EPIC number is RAB2916120. According to the preliminary investigation, EPIC number RAB2916120 does not appear to be officially issued. Therefore, you are requested to provide the details of the mentioned EPIC card (along with the original copy of the card) undersigned, so that it can be thoroughly investigated.” The letter did not specify a deadline for compliance.
The discrepancy over the two EPIC numbers has sparked a political firestorm. The National Democratic Alliance (NDA), led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), seized the opportunity to accuse Yadav of possessing two voter ID cards, a potential legal offense. In a joint press conference, BJP and NDA allies demanded that the ECI file a case against Yadav, with BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra calling it a “conspiracy to defame India.” They questioned the origin of the second EPIC number, noting that possessing multiple voter IDs is a cognizable offense.
RJD spokesperson Chittaranjan Gagan defended Yadav, alleging that the ECI’s notice was a deliberate attempt to divert attention from broader issues with the SIR process. “The ECI, acting at the behest of the BJP, wants to shift focus from the questions raised by Tejashwi ji and other INDIA bloc leaders about the draft electoral roll,” Gagan said. He further questioned how two EPIC numbers could have been issued in Yadav’s name, suggesting systemic errors by the ECI.
Yadav himself responded to the controversy, asserting that he has consistently voted from one constituency and that any error in EPIC issuance lies with the ECI. “They are trying to fault me for their own mistake. Whose lapse is it if two EPIC numbers have been issued in my name?” he said, adding that a detailed reply to the ERO’s notice was being prepared.
The controversy has intensified scrutiny of the ECI’s SIR exercise, which Yadav and the INDIA bloc have criticized as a rushed and opaque process. Yadav has claimed that nearly 65 lakh voters—approximately 8.5% of Bihar’s electorate—have been removed from the draft rolls, raising concerns about mass disenfranchisement. The ECI, however, maintains that no names will be removed without due process and that voters have a one-month window to file claims and objections. As of 3 p.m. on August 3, the ECI reported receiving 941 claims and objections from individual voters but none from political parties.
The issue has also drawn attention to past ECI efforts to address duplicate EPIC numbers. In May 2025, the ECI resolved a 20-year-old issue involving erroneous issuance of similar EPIC numbers across states, issuing new unique cards to affected voters. However, the current case involving Yadav raises questions about whether similar errors persist in Bihar’s electoral system.
As the Bihar Assembly elections approach, the controversy over Yadav’s EPIC number is likely to remain a flashpoint, with both the RJD and NDA leveraging it to rally their bases. The ECI’s investigation into the allegedly unofficial EPIC card will be closely watched, with potential implications for voter trust and electoral integrity in the state.
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