The Election Commission (EC) has directed Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader and Bihar opposition leader Tejashwi Yadav to hand over a voter ID card that he claimed to possess, which preliminary investigations suggest was “not issued officially.”

The controversy erupted after Tejashwi alleged during a press conference on August 2 that his name was missing from the draft electoral rolls published as part of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR). He demonstrated an online search using an EPIC number, claiming that his voter ID details were altered.

However, the Election Commission refuted his claim, stating that the EPIC number he presented did not exist in official records. In a letter to Yadav, the Sub-Divisional Magistrate of Patna Sadar-cum-Electoral Registration Officer for the Digha assembly constituency wrote, “Our preliminary investigation suggests that the EPIC number you mentioned at the press conference was not issued officially. You are therefore requested to hand over the EPIC card in original for detailed investigation.”

The probe continues amid allegations of electoral malpractice and demands for greater scrutiny of voter ID records.