Are Muzaffarpur Mayor and Relatives Violating Election Laws with Dual EPIC Numbers?

Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- Election integrity is vital for fair democratic processes.
- Public disclosures can lead to investigations by authorities.
- Deadlines for responses are crucial in electoral matters.
- Allegations of voter fraud can have serious repercussions.
- Political tensions often influence electoral scrutiny.
Patna, Aug 13 (NationPress) The Election Commission of India (ECI) has issued notices to Muzaffarpur Mayor Nirmala Devi along with her two brothers-in-law, Manoj Kumar and Dilip Kumar, regarding allegations of holding dual Elector Photo Identity Card (EPIC) numbers.
This action comes in the wake of Tejashwi Yadav, the Leader of Opposition, revealing their names publicly earlier in the day.
The ECI's official statement noted that all three individuals were registered at two different polling booths within the 94-Muzaffarpur Assembly Constituency during the draft electoral roll published for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) 2025.
According to the notice, Nirmala Devi’s name is recorded at Booth No. 153, Sl. No. 664, EPIC No. REM1251917 and Booth No. 257, Sl. No. 618, EPIC No. GSB1835164. Both entries existed prior to the current SIR.
In a similar manner, Manoj Kumar is listed under Booth No. 153, Sl. No. 666, EPIC No. REM1251891 and Booth No. 257, Sl. No. 620, EPIC No. GSB0852996, while Dilip Kumar appears at Booth No. 153, Sl. No. 665, EPIC No. REM1958024 and Booth No. 257, Sl. No. 617, EPIC No. GSB1824440.
They have been instructed to provide their explanations to the Electoral Registration Officer by 5:00 PM on August 16, 2025, following which further action will be determined.
Earlier, Tejashwi Yadav accused the Commission of “robbing votes” at the prompting of the BJP.
He cited instances where the name of Muzaffarpur Mayor and senior BJP leader Nirmala Devi appears on two different voter lists within the same constituency, featuring different EPIC cards and inconsistent ages.
Furthermore, he alleged that her two brothers-in-law also maintain duplicate registrations with varied IDs.
On another note, Tejashwi Yadav highlighted that two EPIC numbers associated with Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha were raised by the RJD, leading the Election Commission to issue a notice to him as well.