The latest notice from the Election Commission of India has been issued against Muzaffarpur Mayor and BJP leader Nirmala Devi, who is accused of allegedly holding two separate voter identity cards. This development comes at a time when the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in the poll-bound state is already mired in controversy, drawing significant public and political attention. The Commission has directed Nirmala Devi to provide her formal response to the allegations by August 16.
This incident follows a similar move by the Election Commission just a day earlier, on Sunday, when it served a notice to senior BJP leader and Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha. He is also accused of possessing two voter identity cards and being registered as an elector in two distinct constituencies. The action against Sinha was prompted after Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav leveled serious allegations against him, claiming that Sinha was listed as a voter in both the Lakhisarai Assembly constituency and the Bankipur Assembly constituency in Patna district.
Yadav asserted that the discrepancies went beyond constituency duplication, pointing out that Sinha’s name appeared with two different Electoral Photo Identity Card (EPIC) numbers and even with conflicting ages—57 years in one voter list and 60 years in another. Addressing the media, the Leader of the Opposition in the Bihar Assembly emphasized, “Vijay Kumar Sinha is registered as a voter in two different Assembly constituencies located in two separate districts. His name is present in the Lakhisarai Assembly constituency of Lakhisarai district as well as in the Bankipur Assembly constituency in Patna district. He holds two distinct EPIC cards, and shockingly, this has come to light after the Special Intensive Revision conducted by the Election Commission in Bihar. The pressing question is—who is to be held accountable for this lapse: Sinha himself, or the Election Commission? What concrete action will be taken against him? And more importantly, when will he step down from his post in light of these revelations?”
Responding to these accusations, Vijay Kumar Sinha offered an explanation. He clarified that, historically, his name was registered solely in the Bankipur constituency. However, in April 2024, he had applied to be added to the Lakhisarai voter list and had, at the same time, submitted a request for his name to be removed from the Bankipur records.
