‘Stop this business of misleading and fraud’: Deputy CM Choudhary on Tejashwi's name missing claim

Patna: Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary on Saturday accused RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav of deceiving the public after the latter claimed that his name is missing from the Election Commission’s updated voter list for Bihar.

“Tejashwi Yadav, not only me but your family and the whole of Bihar doubt your ability. It must be very difficult for you to find your name in the SIR draft. Your name is respectfully registered with your father at serial number 416 - you can see for yourself. Now stop this business of misleading and fraud,” Deputy CM Choudhary posted on the social media platform X.

He further added, “Both the illusion and fear of RJD are proving to be bogus time and again.”

Tejashwi Yadav, who serves as the Leader of the Opposition in the Bihar Assembly, had earlier in the day claimed that his name was missing from the draft voter roll released as part of the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process.

Soon after, the Election Commission of India and Patna District Administration released official statements rejecting Tejashwi Yadav’s allegations.

According to the clarification, Tejashwi Yadav’s name is very much present in the updated voter roll.

He is registered at Polling Booth No. 204 – Bihar Animal Science University Library Building. His entry is listed at Serial Number 416. Before the revision, his name was at Booth No. 171, Serial No. 481.

Authorities termed the allegation as “misleading rhetoric” and advised political leaders to verify facts before issuing public statements.

What began as a seemingly simple concern about the electoral process has now snowballed into a fierce political tussle.

While Tejashwi intended to “expose flaws” in the digital verification process and raise concerns about “voter disenfranchisement”, the quick rebuttal by the authorities has laid bare the truth.

The BJP has labelled Tejashwi's statement as a “deliberate attempt to mislead voters” and termed the incident an “expose of lies” by the opposition.

As Bihar inches closer to Assembly elections, the row highlights just how volatile and sensitive the voter list issue can be, and how swiftly it can morph into high-voltage political battles.

IANS