PATNA: The Election Commission on Sunday issued a notice to Bihar deputy chief minister and senior BJP leader Vijay Kumar Sinha following a controversy over possessing two EPIC (elector photo identity card) numbers.
Sinha has been asked to send a reply notice by August 14.
The notice has been sent to Deputy Chief Minister Sinha by Deputy Collector, land reforms-cum registration officer of Patna Sadar, who is also the election officer of Banki assembly constituency, asking him to explain about possessing two EPIC numbers—AFS0853341 and IAF3939337.
While EPIC number AFS0853341 listed his name at polling booth number 405 and serial number 757 of Bankipur assembly constituency in Patna district, EPIC number IAF3939337 listed his name as an elector from Lakhisarai assembly constituency.
Sinha’s name existed in both assembly constituencies during the Special Intensive Revisional of electoral rolls.
Sinha, on being contacted, said that he would send a reply notice to the authority concerned.
Earlier in the day, he claimed that though his name existed in Bankipur and Lakhisarai assembly constituencies, he voted from Lakhisarai constituency. He also claimed that he had submitted the required form for deletion of his name from one place.
He said that his family previously lived in the Bankpur assembly area. “I filled up a form for the deletion of my name from the voter list. I got my name added to the voter list of Lakhisarai assembly constituency. I sent a filled-up form for deletion of name from Bankipur after he found his name featured in both lists,” he told the media.
Earlier, the leader of the Opposition in the Bihar assembly, Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, alleged that the Bihar deputy CM possessed two EPIC numbers and demanded action against him.
He also questioned whether the apex poll body would initiate action against Deputy CM Sinha. “If an attempt is made to take action against us, will action be taken against Deputy CM Sinha?” he asked. Tejashwi is himself surrounded in controversy over possessing two EPIC numbers. The Election Commission has already declared his second EPIC number as fake and asked him to provide the original copy of that EPIC.