'Crime to forge': EC sets deadline for Tejashwi to surrender 'fake' EPIC card by Aug 16

Patna: The Election Commission on Friday told RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav that it was a crime to forge and use a bogus government document and set a deadline for him to submit his "apparently fake" Electoral Photo Identity Card (EPIC) by August 16.

A fresh letter was issued to the Leader of the Opposition in the Bihar assembly by the Sub-Divisional Magistrate Patna (Sadar) cum Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) for Digha assembly constituency in this regard.

The Official had last week written to the former Deputy CM, urging him to ‘hand over for investigation’ the voter card which he claimed to possess despite it having been ‘not issued officially’.

In the latest letter, the ERO said that a perusal of the voters list for the past several years has led to the conclusion that the EC had never issued the voter card with the EPIC number quoted by Yadav.

“It appears that the aforementioned EPIC card is fake. Forging and using a bogus government document in the eyes of the law is a crime. You are once again requested to surrender your apparently fake EPIC card by 16/08/2025 till 5 pm,” the letter read.

Yadav had in a press conference on August 2 and said that a search conducted with his EPIC number was yielding the result ‘no records found’ in the draft electoral rolls prepared as part of Special Intensive Revision (SIR).

When the claim was rejected by the District Administration in Patna, Yadav alleged that his EPIC number had been ‘changed’. Later, Yadav admitted that he did have the voter ID card with the EPIC number quoted by the officials, but sought to blame them for issuance of two EPIC cards in his favour.