EC issues notice to Vaishali MP, her JD(U) MLC husband for possessing two voter ID cards

The Election Commission (EC) on Thursday (August 14, 2025) issued notice to Vaishali MP Veena Devi of the LJP(RV) and her husband Dinesh Prasad Singh, a JD(U) MLC, and sought their reply regarding their possession of dual EPIC numbers by August 16.

The Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) of Muzaffarpur Assembly constituency in Bihar has issued notice to them following the claim made by Leader of Opposition in the Bihar Assembly Tejashwi Yadav that both leaders have two EPIC numbers.

In a post on X, the Rashtriya Janata Dal leader said Mr. Singh has two EPIC numbers in Muzaffarpur district, and he is a voter of two Assembly constituencies — Sahebganj and Muzaffarpur — like his wife.

“How did he get two different EPIC cards in two different Lok Sabha constituencies and two different Assembly constituencies in the new draft rolls published by the Election Commission? Will the Election Commission accept its irregularities and mistakes in SIR? Is this not electoral fraud by EC to ensure NDA’s victory?” Mr. Yadav asked.

Late on Wednesday night (August 13, 2025), the former Deputy Chief Minister issued a press release stating that the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) MP possesses two EPIC voter ID numbers. Mr. Yadav claimed that she is a voter of two Assembly constituencies in Muzaffarpur district — Sahebganj and Muzaffarpur Assembly constituencies.

He also stated that the two EPIC numbers are showing two different ages in both Assembly seats. He asserted that Ms. Devi had filled two enumeration forms in the ongoing special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

Mr. Yadav pointed out that she must have given her signature at two places and asked the EC how she got two EPIC numbers of two different Assembly constituencies. He asked the poll body whether it would send her a notice.

Mr. Yadav held a press conference at his official residence on Wednesday and claimed that Muzaffarpur Mayor Nirmala Devi and her two relatives have two EPIC numbers each. On August 10, he had claimed Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha also has two voter ID cards of two different Assembly constituencies. Later, the EC issued notice to all the leaders who the RJD leader had alleged possessed these cards.

Meanwhile, Mr. Yadav on Thursday welcomed the Supreme Court’s interim order in the SIR exercise with its directions to the EC to publish the list of approximately 65 lakh names excluded from the draft rolls.

The Leader of the Opposition said he has been raising since day one the issue of irregularities in the SIR. He asserted that with the interim order of the Supreme Court, the EC will now be “exposed” when the poll body will publish the list of 65 lakh people. He also added that the Opposition will not let allow genuine voters to be excluded from the voters list.

“First on 27th June, I had raised the voice against the process of SIR and its timing. However, I was ridiculed by the ruling parties. News of foreign nationals was planted from sources, and a personal attack was made on me. We met EC officials but their action was never cooperative,” Mr. Yadav said.

“I want to thank all the leaders of opposition be it Sonia Gandhi ji, Rahul Gandhi ji, Mamata Banerjee ji, M.K. Stalin ji and other leaders for extending their support. We will have a close eye on the activities of the EC and will keep fighting for it. Since the beginning, the Election Commissioner has not done a single press conference. The NDA is going to face a humiliating defeat in the upcoming Assembly election and now the EC will now be exposed with the SC orders,” he added.