Accused of 'cover-up', EC to fix duplicate voter ID issue in 3 months

New Delhi, Mar 7 (PTI) Amid allegations of a cover-up over duplicate voter identity card numbers, the Election Commission (EC) on Friday said it will address the "decades-long" matter in the next three months.

The Trinamool Congress (TMC) flagged the issue of duplicate voter identity card numbers in different states and accused the EC of a cover-up.

TMC MP Saket Gokhale said the Election Commission has finally admitted and accepted their guilt that duplicate Electoral Photo Identity Card (EPIC) numbers have been allotted to multiple people.

"This is a scam and answers must be given," he posted on X.

In a statement, the poll authority said India's electoral rolls are the biggest database of electors across the globe with over 99 crore registered voters.

"As regards the issue of duplicate Electoral Photo Identity Card numbers, the Commission has already taken cognisance of the matter. Irrespective of an EPIC number, an elector who is linked to the electoral roll of a particular polling station can cast his vote at that polling station only and nowhere else," it asserted.

The poll authority said it has now decided to resolve this "long-pending issue" after detailed discussions within the technical teams and concerned state chief electoral officers in the next three months by ensuring a "unique national EPIC number" to the existing electors having a duplicate EPIC number. The new system will be applicable for future electors as well, it added.

Explaining the procedure related to the updation of electoral rolls, the EC said at every booth, political parties also have the right to appoint booth-level agents (BLAs) who have a right to verify the electoral roll of the concerned booth and raise a complaint for the anomaly, if any.

If any person has any objection, he has the option to file the first appeal to the district magistrate or district election officer under section 24(a) of the Representation of the People (RP) Act, 1950.

If the person is not satisfied with the decision of the first appellate authority, a second appeal to the Chief Electoral Officer of the concerned state or Union Territory (UT) under section 24(b) of the RP Act can be filed.

Data shared by the poll authority showed that across the country, 89 first-level appeals and one second-level appeal were made in Maharashtra and no other state.

EC functionaries pointed out that no appeals were filed in West Bengal. PTI