Bihar Deputy CM Faces Voter ID Controversy Amid SIR Row

The political storm over Bihar SIR of electoral rolls intensified today as RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav raised serious allegations against Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha. At a press conference, Tejashwi claimed that Vijay Kumar Sinha holds two distinct EPIC numbers across different assembly constituencies, each listing different ages and locations.

Tejashwi Yadav stated, ‘Sinha appears in both the Lakhisarai Assembly (EPIC IAF3939337, age 57) and Bankipur Assembly (EPIC AFS0853341, age 60) voter lists, certainly enabling him to vote twice in separate phases’. Yadav questioned whether this was a case of fraud or a planned loophole in the Election Commission’s SIR exercise.

Deputy CM responded, asserting that he had long been registered in Bankipur along with his family but had applied in April 2024 to transfer his registration to Lakhisarai. He added that he submitted a removal request for his Bankipur entry as well and possesses documentary proof.

Refusing to let the matter rest, Tejashwi Yadav demanded a formal FIR and questioned whether the Election Commission purposely enabled duplicate registrations for certain political figures.

These accusations come at a time when the SIR process has already gathered widespread criticism. Around 65.6 lakh names were removed from Bihar’s draft voter list, reducing the total to 7.24 crore voters. The Opposition has labelled the exercise as “vote theft,” staging protests in Parliament and accusing the government of targeting specific voter groups.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah, however, defended the SIR exercise, stating that it aims to protect electoral integrity by preventing infiltration and denying voting rights to ineligible individuals.

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