Patna: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has served notices to Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) MP, Veena Devi and her husband, JD(U) MLC Dinesh Singh, over allegations of holding dual voter identity cards, on Thursday.
Both have been asked to submit their replies by 5 P.M. on August 16.
The controversy, which has stirred Bihar’s political scene, erupted after RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav alleged that the couple’s names are registered in voter lists of two separate Assembly constituencies — Bada Daud village in Sahebganj (their ancestral residence) and Muzaffarpur-94 (urban address).
The issuance of two separate EPIC cards for the same individual violates the Election Commission’s norms, which mandate that a voter’s name appear in only one constituency.
According to the ECI, having a name registered in two places constitutes a punishable offence.
Tejashwi Yadav took to social media to highlight the violation, accusing the ECI of shielding NDA leaders.
“When Opposition leaders face allegations, action is taken immediately, but ruling party leaders are being protected,” he wrote.
Amid the escalating controversy over alleged dual voter identity cards, Veena Devi has defended herself, stating that the inclusion of her name in two voter lists was due to official inaction rather than intentional wrongdoing.
“After marriage, my name was registered in the voter list of Muzaffarpur’s urban area. Later, while contesting the Zilla Parishad elections, my name was added to the village list. Since then, I have been voting from the village, using the EPIC number of that constituency in every election since 2001, from district council to Lok Sabha,” Veena Devi said.
She added that she had applied to the Booth Level Officer (BLO) for removal of her name from the urban list, but “no action was taken.” She now plans to restart the process.
When asked about RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav’s allegations, Veena Devi dismissed them as political attacks.
“Opposition leaders have the job of making accusations against ruling party leaders,” she remarked.
The issue of dual voter registration has become a major political flashpoint in Bihar.
It was first raised in connection with Tejashwi Yadav himself, before the names of Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha and Muzaffarpur Mayor Nirmala Devi surfaced in similar lists.
The Election Commission has reiterated that strict action will be taken against anyone found violating voter registration rules.
(IANS)
