NEW DELHI: The Election Commission EC on Friday announced that it will resolve the longstanding issue of duplicate Electors Photo Identity Card (EPIC) numbers within the next three months. In an official statement, the commission acknowledged the presence of multiple voters with the same EPIC numbers due to past discrepancies in the allotment process. This comes as West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee and Congress raised the issue accusing the poll body of voters list manipulation to favor the BJP.
In an official statement, the EC clarified that despite duplication, all electors linked to the electoral roll of a particular polling station can only vote at that designated location, ensuring no misuse of duplicate IDs. A sample verification of over 100 voters with identical EPIC numbers confirmed that they were genuine electors.
“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,” the commission stated in its official release.
The issue arose due to incorrect series usage when the EPIC system was introduced in the year 2000. Since individual states and union territories managed electoral roll databases independently, errors in numbering went undetected at the national level.
“It is a matter of electoral integrity. We have taken cognizance of the issue and are committed to ensuring a unique national EPIC number for all voters,” said Anuj Chandak, director at the election commission.
To rectify this, the commission will ensure a unique national EPIC number for all existing voters with duplicate numbers and for new electors in the future.