Tejashwi Yadav again threatens election ‘boycott’, says ECI helping BJP
Patna: Leader of Opposition in Bihar Assembly Tejashwi Yadav on Wednesday reiterated that he may boycott the upcoming state elections, accusing the Election Commission of large-scale irregularities.
Tejashwi announced that from August 17, he will join the “Vote Rights Yatra” with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, during which they will meet the public and discuss the issue.
“After the yatra, we will seriously consider whether to participate in the Assembly elections or not. When the Election Commission has already decided everything, it can also be considered that we do not participate,” he said.
He alleged that the Commission is “robbing votes” at the behest of the BJP. Citing examples, he claimed that Muzaffarpur Mayor and senior BJP leader Nirmala Devi’s name appears in two separate voter lists within the same constituency, with two different EPIC cards and mismatched ages.
He further alleged that her two brothers-in-law also hold duplicate registrations with separate IDs.
Tejashwi Yadav also pointed out that two EPIC numbers of Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha were raised by the RJD, and only then did the Election Commission serve notice to him.
“More interestingly, Sinha’s name appeared in two districts, and according to my knowledge, the district administration of only one district has served notice to him,” Yadav said.
Tejashwi also claimed that the BJP’s Bihar in-charge Bhikhu Bhai Dalsania is registered in Bihar’s voter list despite being from Gujarat.
“Last time in the 2024 Lok Sabha election, he voted in Gujarat, removed his name from there, and now he will vote in Patna. After elections, he might again get his name removed here and vote in Gujarat,” Tejashwi charged.
The RJD leader alleged serious irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list, claiming the BJP has been rendered “speechless” as revelations emerge.
He criticised the Election Commission for not holding a press conference on the matter and vowed to expose flaws in the SIR process.
“Earlier, the BJP used agencies like the ED and CBI; now it is using the Election Commission,” Tejashwi said.
Recalling the 2020 Bihar Assembly elections, Yadav alleged that he lost by 12,000 votes in one seat and that his party was deliberately made to lose 10 seats.
“This is all a game of vote theft,” he claimed.
With the Assembly elections just months away, the voter list controversy is emerging as a flashpoint between the ruling NDA and the opposition Mahagathbandhan.