Patna: A fresh controversy has erupted amid the ongoing scrutiny of voter ID irregularities in Bihar, as CPI (ML) MP from Ara, Sudama Prasad, admitted that his wife, Shobha Devi, holds two EPIC (voter ID) cards with different addresses.
This revelation comes at a time when RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav is already under the Election Commission’s scanner for allegedly possessing two voter ID cards. The new development has widened the political row surrounding the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar.
According to Sudama Prasad, the issue arose due to his wife’s past participation in the 2022 Bihar municipal elections, where she contested from Ara. She currently has one voter ID card registered at Pawna village in Bhojpur district, and another with an address in Ara town.
Speaking to the press, Prasad clarified, “There is no malicious intent. My wife wanted to retain the Ara voter card and cancel the Pawna one. However, the Booth Level Officer (BLO) was delayed in visiting during the first phase of the SIR process.”
He added that his wife, a voter at booth number 189 in Pawna under the Agiaon assembly constituency, had informed the authorities in time but could not complete the cancellation process due to procedural delays.
“I personally met the Bhojpur District Magistrate on July 15, and he advised us to submit the cancellation request during the claims and objections period beginning August 1. We are in the process of cancelling the Pawna card now,” Prasad said.
The two voter ID numbers allegedly linked to Shobha Devi are RGX 3264140 and WVA 0308544. As per sources, the matter is now being examined by the district election authorities.
Sudama Prasad himself has taken a stand against the SIR process and had filed a petition in the Supreme Court, challenging the alleged irregularities and lack of transparency in the electoral roll revision.
