Yadav had in a press conference on August 2 and said that a search conducted with his EPIC number was yielding the result ‘no records found’ in the draft electoral rolls prepared as part of Special Intensive Revision (SIR).
The Election Commission on Friday told RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav that it was a crime to forge and use a bogus government document and set a deadline for him to submit his “apparently fake” Electoral Photo Identity Card (EPIC) by August 16. A fresh letter was issued to the Leader of the Opposition in the Bihar assembly by the Sub-Divisional Magistrate Patna (Sadar) cum Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) for Digha assembly constituency in this regard.
What is the deadline set by the Election Commission for surrendering the EPIC card?
In a letter, the Election Officer, Patna, wrote to RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav. The letter reads,”…It seems that the EPIC displayed by you during a press conference is fake. Making and using false government documents is a legal offence. You are requested to submit the seemingly false EPIC at our office by 5 pm on 16th August.”
Bihar | Election Officer, Patna writes to RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav – “…It seems that the EPIC displayed by you during a press conference is fake. Making and using false government documents is a legal offence. You are requested to submit the seemingly false EPIC at our office… pic.twitter.com/uFajUrLgE4
— ANI (@ANI) August 8, 2025
The Official had last week written to the former Deputy CM, urging him to ‘hand over for investigation’ the voter card which he claimed to possess despite it having been ‘not issued officially’.
In the latest letter, the ERO said that a perusal of the voters list for the past several years has led to the conclusion that the EC had never issued the voter card with the EPIC number quoted by Yadav.
In a letter issued by the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM), it was noted that Tejashwi Yadav, during a press conference on August 2, claimed his EPIC number was RAB2916120.
Why has Tejashwi Yadav been asked to surrender his EPIC card?
However, a search for the number on the Election Commission of India’s website following the Special Intensive Revision (SIR)-2025 did not yield any result, as the name linked to it was missing from the draft electoral roll.
The district administration said its investigation found Tejashwi Yadav’s name listed in the voter roll under EPIC number RAB0456228 with serial number 416 at the Bihar Animal Sciences University’s library building at polling station number 204.
This same number was mentioned in the RJD leader’s affidavits for the 2015 and 2020 Assembly elections, as well as in the form submitted to the Booth Level Officer during SIR-2025.
Officials said the number RAB2916120 displayed at the press conference does not appear to have been issued by the Election Commission, and termed it “seemingly fake”.
What does the Election Commission say about the EPIC card’s authenticity?
“It appears that the aforementioned EPIC card is fake. Forging and using a bogus government document in the eyes of the law is a crime. You are once again requested to surrender your apparently fake EPIC card by 16/08/2025 till 5 pm,” the letter read.
Yadav had in a press conference on August 2 and said that a search conducted with his EPIC number was yielding the result ‘no records found’ in the draft electoral rolls prepared as part of Special Intensive Revision (SIR).
When the claim was rejected by the District Administration in Patna, Yadav alleged that his EPIC number had been ‘changed’. Later, Yadav admitted that he did have the voter ID card with the EPIC number quoted by the officials, but sought to blame them for issuance of two EPIC cards in his favour.
(With IANS, PTI Inputs)
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