"This means he had two EPIC numbers...": Sambit Patra over Tejashwi Yadav's "changed" EPIC number claim

New Delhi [India], August 3 (ANI): BJP MP Sambit Patra on Sunday lashed out at Leader of Opposition in Bihar Assembly, Tejashwi Yadav, after he alleged that his EPIC (Electors Photo Identity Card) number has been "changed" and his name was missing from the draft voter list.
Patra alleged that Tejashwi Yadav had two EPIC numbers and two Voter IDs, and called Yadav's accusation a "conspiracy to defame India."
Addressing a press conference, Patra said, "This means he (Tejashwi Yadav) had two EPIC numbers... Did he have two voter IDs? The way in which Congress and RJD are scathing an attack on the EC, is a conspiracy to defame India."
Further, Patra stated that the Election Commission of India (ECI) and Patna District Magistrate clarified the matter by showing Yadav's name in the draft electoral roll.
"He tried to mislead voters on the electoral roll published by the EC ... He cried that his name was not there in the electoral roll, so could he take part in the elections in Bihar?... After that, the EC and Patna DM revealed the truth. They said that Tejashwi Yadav's name and EPIC number are present, and his name has not been cut from the electoral roll published after the SIR," he said.
"The EC further said that the EPIC number, which published his name in the electoral roll at serial number 416, is the same as the one he wrote in his nomination papers during the 2020 elections," the BJP MP added.
He said, "Sarvochh neta ke hain two EPIC number to karyakarta ka haal kya hoga" (if the chief has two EPIC numbers, then what would be the condition of the party workers).
Referring to the times when Bihar was infamous for booth capturing, Patra alleged that Congress and RJD won using hooliganism and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list has exposed them.
"Is this why they are afraid of SIR? Imagine these Congress and RJD leader and their workers, who were used to capturing booths and winning on the basis of hooliganism, their whole game has been exposed," he said.
"Did Tejashwi Yadav file the wrong affidavit during his nomination in the 2020 assembly elections? Did he lie under oath?" he further questioned.
This comes after the ECI sources rejected Tejaswi Prasad's allegation that his EPIC number was changed, saying that the RJD leader used the Electoral Roll with EPIC number RAB0456228 for filling his nomination papers on affidavit in 2020.
"The other EPIC number - RAB2916120 has been found to be non-existent. More than ten years old records have been checked. No records have been found for the second EPIC number yet. It is highly likely that the second EPIC was never made through the official channel. Further inquiries are on to understand the reality of the second EPIC number, whether that is a forged document," a source said.
The ECI had clarified that Tejashwi's name is included in the draft voter list at serial number 416.
ECI, in a statement, stated, "It has come to our attention that Tejashwi Yadav has made a mischievous claim that his name does not appear in the draft electoral roll. His name is listed at Serial Number 416 in the Draft Electoral Roll. Therefore, any claim stating that his name is not included in the draft electoral roll is false and factually incorrect."
Earlier on Saturday, RJD leader attacked the ECI over the SIR exercise in Bihar, stating his EPIC number was changed and his name was missing from the voter list.
"If my own EPIC (Electors Photo Identity Card) number could be changed, then how many people's EPIC numbers have been changed? These are the questions we are posing to the Election Commission. This is a conspiracy to cut people's names from the voter list...," he said. (ANI)