Bihar draft electoral rolls omits Tejashwi Yadav's name; EC issues a response to the allegation
In the lead-up to the upcoming elections in Bihar, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav has raised concerns over his voter registration status and the transparency of the Election Commission of India's (ECI) Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process.
Yadav claimed that his name was missing from Bihar's draft electoral rolls following the SIR, conducted by the ECI. To substantiate his claim, he attempted to verify his voter details using an EPIC number (RAB2916120) on the Election Commission's official portal, but found "No records found." This has cast doubt on the electoral roll's credibility.
However, the Election Commission has rebutted Yadav's claim, stating that his name is present in the Bihar draft electoral rolls under a different EPIC number (RAB0456228) which he had used for filing nomination papers earlier. The EC sources also noted that the second EPIC number Yadav cited does not exist in official records and is likely forged. They clarified that the EPIC number associated with him officially for over 10 years is RAB0456228.
Yadav has accused the ECI of going back on its promises of transparency and fairness. He has also alleged that approximately 65 lakh voter names have been arbitrarily removed from the electoral rolls. The ECI, however, has not confirmed or denied this allegation.
Yadav further claimed that he was not provided with a receipt by the booth-level officer who came to his place with an enumeration form. He also criticised the new draft list for lacking clarity and explanation.
The ECI has released the draft electoral rolls following the completion of the SIR 2025. The public has one month to submit claims and objections regarding the draft voter list, with the ECI assuring that no name will be removed without a stated reason.
Yadav has threatened to boycott the upcoming polls, alleging that the Election Commission is trying to help the ruling NDA. The ECI has yet to respond to this allegation.
References:
- The Indian Express
- NDTV
- The Print
- The ongoing dispute over Tejashwi Yadav's voter registration status in Bihar has sparked a debate about the transparency of India's Election Commission (ECI) and its Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process, a topic of significant interest in policy-and-legislation and general-news discourse.
- The finance sector, keeping an eye on potential political implications, is assessing the potential impact of Yadav's accusations on both the Bihar elections and the broader political landscape, with some considering the possible ramifications for market stability.
- As the problem of missing voter names and the authenticity of EPIC numbers becomes a focal point of the ongoing discourse, concerns over identity theft and fraud in the context of Defi and digital finance are being raised, with crime-and-justice experts noting the potential risks involved in the digital age.
