Voter ID duplication row: ECI promises unique national EPIC number in 3 months

Guwahati, March 8: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has assured that it would resolve the issue of duplicate Voter ID numbers issued in different states within the next three months by introducing a unique national EPIC (Electors Photo Identity Card) number for all voters across the country.

The assurance came after widespread concerns, particularly from the Trinamool Congress (TMC), regarding the presence of duplicate voter IDs in electoral rolls, with allegations that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was benefiting from the discrepancy.

In a statement on Friday, the ECI clarified that despite the identical EPIC numbers, there was no possibility of fraudulent voting as electors could cast their votes only in their registered constituencies.

However, it admitted that the problem arose due to incorrect series allotment of EPIC numbers since the year 2000, when electoral rolls were independently managed by states and Union Territories (UTs).

“The issue of allotment of duplicate numbers due to incorrect series across States/UTs could not have been detected as the States/UTs were independently managing the electoral roll databases,” the ECI said.

It further explained that prior to the introduction of the ERONET platform — a common web-based system for electoral roll management — certain Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) offices had used the same EPIC alphanumeric series, resulting in duplicate EPIC numbers across states.

The ECI also confirmed that a sample enquiry of over 100 electors with duplicate EPIC numbers showed that the voters were genuine electors, reinforcing that no fake voters had been added to the electoral rolls.

The Trinamool Congress (TMC), which was the first to raise the issue, was quick to respond, stating that the ECI’s admission was proof of their “guilt.”

The party has been vocal about its concern that voters from other states were being added to West Bengal’s electoral roll, allegedly benefiting the ruling BJP.

The controversy erupted on February 27, when the West Bengal Chief Minister accused the BJP-led government at the Centre, alleging that voters from other states were being fraudulently included in West Bengal's electoral rolls “with the blessings of the Election Commission.”

She claimed that multiple voters shared the same EPIC numbers, further raising questions about the sanctity of the electoral process.

In response, the ECI had clarified on March 2 that duplicate EPIC numbers did not imply fake voters, but rather stemmed from errors in the initial numbering system by different state electoral offices.

However, the commission refrained from addressing why the issue remained undetected for over two decades.

Meanwhile, the Congress dismissed the ECI’s response as “weak and unconvincing”, questioning the integrity of the electoral roll. In a statement posted on its official social media handle, the party accused the ECI of contradicting its own stance.

“The ECI, in a letter dated September 18, 2008, had clearly stated that voter IDs are unique. Today, the ECI calls the issue of duplicate voter IDs a ‘decades-long problem’. Which version should the people of India believe?” the Congress asked in the party’s official social media handle.