EC Refutes Tejashwi Yadav’s Allegation of Name Omission from Bihar Draft Electoral Rolls – Would you like a short news summary to go with it?

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Saturday firmly rejected RJD leader and Bihar Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav’s claim that his name was missing from the draft electoral rolls released as part of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) ahead of the upcoming assembly elections. The Commission termed Yadav’s accusation “baseless” and presented documentary evidence confirming the presence of his voter details.

Earlier in the day, Yadav held a press conference where he demonstrated an online search using an EPIC number that yielded no results. Displaying the search on a large screen, he said, “Look! I am not registered as a voter. This means I’m disqualified from contesting elections. It feels as if I’ve been stripped of my citizenship and the right to live in my own house.”

In response, the Election Commission released a copy of the draft roll showing Yadav’s name, photograph, and full details at serial number 416. Officials clarified that the EPIC number RAB0456228—used by Yadav during the 2015 and 2020 elections—is valid and reflected in the updated electoral roll published on August 1.

However, the second EPIC number Yadav used in his online search—RAB2916120—was found to be invalid. According to ECI sources, there is no record of such a number in over ten years of archived data, raising suspicions that it might have been forged or never officially issued.

Yadav also raised concerns over procedural irregularities, alleging that the booth-level officer who collected his filled-out form failed to provide an acknowledgment receipt. “I even took a picture while submitting it,” he said, expressing doubt about the transparency of the process.

He further emphasized the challenges of digital access, questioning, “How can someone living outside Bihar verify their name physically? If this can happen to someone like me, what hope does a common citizen have? Even an IAS couple has reportedly found their names missing.”

The ECI has stated it is investigating the matter surrounding the invalid EPIC number and reiterated its commitment to a fair and transparent revision process.