Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader and Bihar’s Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav has accused Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha of possessing two voter identity cards with separate Electors Photo Identity Card (EPIC) numbers in different assembly constituencies — Bankipur and Lakhisarai. Speaking at a press conference, Yadav claimed that the details could be verified on the Election Commission’s online portal, noting discrepancies in Sinha’s recorded age between the two entries. Sharing both EPIC numbers and their corresponding details on social media, Yadav alleged that Sinha’s name appeared twice in the voter lists, enabling him to vote in two different phases of elections. He suggested that either the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process was flawed, or the deputy CM had committed electoral fraud.
Yadav further alleged that both voter registration forms were signed by Vijay Sinha himself, raising questions about deliberate duplication. He argued that if Sinha had not personally signed both, then the Election Commission would have had to create the entries based on forged signatures. The allegations come amid heightened political tensions in Bihar over the SIR process, with Opposition parties accusing the poll panel of irregularities. This is the second time in recent days that Yadav has raised concerns over voter rolls, having earlier claimed that his own name was missing from the draft electoral list — a claim the Election Commission promptly refuted.
Responding to the allegations, Vijay Sinha held his own press conference, denying any wrongdoing and asserting that he votes from only one constituency, Lakhisarai. Sinha explained that while his name was earlier listed in Patna, he had applied in April 2024 to transfer his voter registration to Lakhisarai and simultaneously requested deletion from the previous list. He claimed to have proof of his applications and noted that his deletion request was rejected. Sinha criticised Tejashwi Yadav’s remarks as unbecoming of a constitutional postholder, accusing him of attempting to tarnish reputations with false claims. The war of words adds to an already charged political climate, following recent allegations from Congress leader Rahul Gandhi about “vote theft” and collusion between the poll panel and the BJP.
