New Delhi: A Left MP from Bihar who challenged the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll in the Supreme Court has come under a cloud amid reports that his wife was registered as a voter in two separate Assembly constituencies with two distinct EPIC numbers, election office sources said on Sunday.
Petitioner and Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) Liberation MP Sudama Prasad’s wife, Shobha Devi, allegedly had two EPIC numbers – RGX3264140 and WVA0308544.
While one of her EPIC numbers was registered in Arrah Assembly constituency with Lavarish Seva Kendra as the designated polling station, the other pertained to Agiaon constituency with Samudayik Bhavan Araila as her polling station, said sources in the Bihar election office.
The fresh ‘dual EPIC number’ controversy comes close to the one involving Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav, who is also allegedly possessing “dual” Electors Photo Identity Card (EPIC) numbers.
Earlier, the Supreme Court, while hearing a batch of pleas challenging the electoral roll revision ahead of the Assembly elections in November, posted the matter to August 12, assuring to intervene immediately if there is “mass exclusion” of voters in the SIR.
On Saturday, Tejashwi Yadav stirred a political storm in Patna with a claim that his name was missing in Bihar’s draft electoral roll. ECI sources hinted that he might be possessing “two” EPIC numbers, with only one of them being validated in the SIR.
The election office on Sunday wrote to him seeking details of his ‘second’ EPIC number, which, according to him, had been deleted from the voter list.
The Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) of Digha Assembly constituency asked the Leader of Opposition to present the original copy of the voter ID card whose number was alleged to be missing from the draft electoral roll.
“You are requested to kindly provide the details of the EPIC card (along with the original copy of the card) mentioned by you in the press conference held on August 2, 2025, to the undersigned, so that it can be thoroughly investigated,” wrote the ERO.
The letter dated August 3 said the communication was linked to Tejashwi Yadav’s “statement given in the press conference held on August 2, 2025, regarding non-inclusion of names in the draft electoral list published on the basis of eligibility date July 1, 2025”.
(IANS)
