RJD leader and Bihar Assembly Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Prasad Yadav on August 2, 2025, publicly claimed that his name was missing from the draft electoral roll, despite possessing a valid EPIC (Elector’s Photo Identity Card) number. During a press conference in Patna, he displayed a “no records found” message on the Election Commission’s website, questioning: “How will I contest the elections?”

The Election Commission of India (ECI) swiftly responded, terming his assertion as “false and factually incorrect.” The poll body confirmed that Tejashwi’s name appears at Serial Number 416 in the draft voter list of the Digha Assembly (Patna Sahib) segment, and suggested he may have used an outdated EPIC number during his search.

Patna’s District Magistrate and Election Officer also stepped in to clear the confusion, stating that Tejashwi’s name is correctly recorded at Polling Station No. 204, Library Building of Bihar Animal Sciences University. Previously, he was listed at Station No. 171, indicating a change in venue rather than exclusion.

Tejashwi further highlighted broader issues with the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process in Bihar, alleging that approximately 65 lakh voter names—around 8.5% of the electorate—were removed without proper transparency. He accused the Election Commission of omitting key details such as booth numbers, EPIC numbers, and reasons for deletion, raising concerns over the integrity of the voter list update ahead of the 2025 Bihar Assembly polls.