Patna (Bihar) [India], August 10 : RJD MP Manoj Jha on Sunday said that RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav's allegations against Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha revealed the Election Commission's "fraud".
Jha said, "The conference that opposition leader Tejashwi Yadav held today has revealed the secrets of the EC's work style and fraud, layer by layer... The Deputy CM is a voter from both Bankipur, Patna and Lakhisarai. In one place, he is 60 years old, and in another, he is still 57. Both are in drafts. Which one will be misleading?"
Further, he accused the poll body of destroying the democratic system by acting on the behest of one political party.
"EC should understand that their fraud has been exposed to everyone. You are destroying an integral part of our democratic system by acting on the instructions of one political party. Refrain from doing this and maintain your autonomy and dignity," he said.
Earlier today, Dy CM Vijay Kumar Sinha responded to Tejashwi Yadav's allegation that he holds two elector photo identity card (EPIC) numbers in different constituencies.
"Our whole family had voter IDs from Bankipur. In April 2024, I applied to add my name to the Lakhisarai constituency and remove it from Bankipur. It did not happen immediately, so I called the BLO, filled out the form, and took the receipt. I have all the documents. I voted from only one place last time too; it was in Lakhisarai," he said.
Sinha added that he flagged the issue with the Election Commission after the poll body released the draft voter list, following the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in the state. He said that the ECI has given a one-month correction window, and the final voter list has not been released yet.
"One month is given for the correction. People questioning a Constitutional body do not have trust in the Constitution. They spread confusion and are a danger to democracy. Due to this correction window, I have given the BLO in writing to remove my name. It would have been the Election Commission's mistake if it did not have a correction window. The final electoral roll has not been released. My name is under the process," he told reporters.
The row began when RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav alleged that Vijay Kumar Sinha has two EPIC numbers, each with a different address and age.
Addressing a press conference here, Yadav claimed that the two EPIC numbers belong to Lakhisarai and Bankipur, respectively.
"He has voter cards from two places; one is from Lakhisarai, and the other is from the Bankipur assembly constituency. This is of the Bankipur Assembly seat, in which his age is 60 years, and you can see his age is 57 years in Lakhisarai in the draft voter list after the SIR. The public should know who is doing fraud. Lakhisarai Assembly EPIC No is IAF3939337 while Bankipur Assembly EPIC No is AFS0853341," the RJD leader said.