ECI terms EPIC card shown by Tejashwi ‘fake’, asks him to hand over card by August 16

Election Commission of India asked Leader of Opposition in Bihar assembly and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav to hand over the ‘fake’ EPIC card by 5 p.m. on August6 16, 2025
| Photo Credit: ANI

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Friday (August 8,. 2025) said the EPIC card that Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav displayed during a press conference on August 2 was fake.

The Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) of the Digha Assembly constituency sent a letter to Mr. Yadav after the deadline fixed by the ERO ended on Friday, in which it had asked him to hand over the EPIC card for thorough investigation.

A day after the draft electoral rolls were published on August 1, Mr. Yadav had alleged that his name was missing. However, the EC had said the Leader of the Opposition was making “baseless” claims and furnished the extract of the draft roll where his name was present. He had also displayed his EPIC card bearing the number RAB2916120.

The ECI list shows the EPIC number as RAB0456228, as mentioned in the draft rolls. The EC also shared Mr. Yadav’s affidavit, in which EPIC No. RAB0456228 was used for filing his nomination papers in the 2020 Assembly polls. He was listed with this EPIC number in the 2015 electoral roll as well.

“In the context of the subject, it is to be said that on August 2, you organised a press conference and informed the media that your EPIC number is RAB2916120 and, on searching on the official website of the Election Commission of India with the said EPIC number, your name was not found in the draft electoral list and [was] deleted,” the ERO, under the ECI, stated in the letter.

Following Mr. Yadav’s allegation, the ERO’s office on August 3 and 6 sent notices to him seeking details of the EPIC card (along with the original copy) so that it could be examined. In the last letter, the ERO asked that the EPIC card be submitted by Friday afternoon.

The letter further stated: “During investigation, it was found that your name is mentioned with EPIC number RAB0456228 at polling station number 204, Library building number 416 of Bihar Animal Science University. Even after matching with the database of voter lists of the last several years, the EPIC card number RAB2916120 displayed in the press conference was not found to be issued by the Election Commission of India.”

On August 7, Mr. Yadav said he had not received any notice from the ECI and accused the poll body of blaming him for its own mistakes by issuing two EPIC card numbers.

The ERO added: “From the facts, it appears that the EPIC card number RAB2916120 displayed by you in the press conference is fake. Making and using fake government documents is a legal offence. You are once again requested to submit your seemingly fake EPIC card in the office of the Electoral Registration Officer by 5 p.m. on August 16, 2025.”

Mr. Yadav is a voter of the Digha Assembly seat and represents the Raghopur Assembly seat.

Reacting to the letter, RJD State spokesperson Chittaranjan Gagan said the ECI should explain how two EPIC numbers were issued in the name of Tejashwi Yadav since EPIC numbers are issued by the Election Commission.

“This is not a single incident; there are many such examples where two EPIC numbers are issued to one name. Will the Election Commission claim with an affidavit that Tejashwi ji is the only example in the entire voter list of Bihar where no names have two EPIC numbers?” Mr. Gagan said.

He further alleged, “In fact, the ECI has got trapped in its own web. Its conspiracy to help the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been exposed – to divert attention and to malign the image of Tejashwi Yadav through the media by writing letters again and again.”