Bihar Mayor Receives Election Commission Notice For 2 Voter IDs

The Election Commission on Wednesday served a notice to Muzaffarpur mayor and BJP leader Nirmala Devi for allegedly possessing two voter ID cards, and asked her to reply to it by August 16, an official said.

The EC also sent notices to her two relatives -- Manoj Kumar and Dilip Kumar -- who also allegedly have voter ID cards for two booths in the same assembly constituency.

Earlier in the day, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav accused the Muzaffarpur mayor and her two relatives of "having dual voter ID cards".

"The Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) for Muzaffarpur assembly constituency has sent a notice to Nirmala Devi and her two relatives, asking them to submit their replies to the poll panel over the issue of possessing two voter ID cards by August 16," the official said.

Yadav accused the EC of "colluding" with the BJP to "steal" votes in Bihar, where assembly polls are due later this year.

He also alleged that the poll panel was "helping BJP leaders secure two voter cards each".

The BJP termed these allegations as "false and misleading".

"It is a fact that the Election Commission (EC) has colluded with the BJP to steal votes in Bihar ahead of the coming assembly polls. The draft electoral rolls published by the EC after the initial exercise of the special intensive revision (SIR) should be called 'dacoity' of votes. The EC is helping BJP leaders secure two voter ID cards each in the state," Yadav alleged, while talking to reporters.

He said that the Muzaffarpur mayor, who is a prominent BJP leader and a probable candidate in the assembly polls, possesses two voter ID cards for different booths in a constituency, as per the draft electoral rolls.

Yadav also claimed that Nirmala Devi's two EPIC cards, bearing numbers REM1251917 and GSB1835164, have different ages.