Patna: The Election Commission on Sunday asked Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav to hand over a voter ID card that he claimed to possess, stating it was “not issued officially” and should be submitted for investigation.

The directive came a day after the Leader of Opposition in the Bihar Assembly alleged discrepancies in the electoral rolls. On Saturday, Yadav demonstrated an online search using an EPIC (Electors Photo Identity Card) number to assert that his name was missing from the draft electoral rolls published as part of the Special Summary Revision (SSR). Following a rebuttal from election officials, Yadav further alleged that his voter ID card number had been “changed”.

In a letter addressed to the former deputy CM, the Sub Divisional Magistrate of Patna Sadar-cum-Electoral Registration Officer for Digha assembly constituency said, “Our preliminary investigation suggests that the EPIC number you mentioned at the press conference on August 2 was not issued officially. You are therefore requested to hand over the EPIC card in original for detailed investigation”.

The RJD leader, thereafter, alleged that his EPIC number had been "changed", but District Magistrate Thiyagaraja S M repudiated the claim.

"The EPIC number in the electoral rolls is the one that was submitted by the honourable leader of the opposition in his affidavit in the 2020 assembly polls. If he is in possession of another EPIC card with another number as well, then it is a matter of investigation," the district magistrate said.

Meanwhile, at a press conference here, spokespersons of the ruling NDA in the state Ajay Alok (BJP), Neeraj Kumar (JDU) and Rajesh Bhatt (Lok Janshakti Party Ram Vilas), among others, demanded that a case be registered against the RJD leader.

They said Yadav should be booked for having two EPIC cards, which is not allowed.

The NDA functionaries said they want to know from his alliance partner Rahul Gandhi whether this "fraud" by the RJD leader is the "atom bomb" he was threatening the Election Commission with.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday claimed that his party has an "atom bomb" of evidence to prove "vote chori" by the Election Commission for the BJP.

The NDA leaders claimed that the INDIA bloc was "staring at a certain defeat" in the upcoming assembly polls, and its leaders are trying to look for an "excuse", by raising doubts over the special intensive revision carried out by the EC.

It was comparable to "anticipatory bails sought by criminals", they claimed. PTI