Election Commission’s Stand
- Acknowledged reports of identical voter ID numbers across different states.
- Clarified that while some numbers may match, other details (demographics, constituency, polling booth) remain unique.
- Stated that a voter can only vote in their designated polling station in the enrolled state/UT.
Relevance : GS 2 (Polity, Elections)
Cause of Duplication
- Resulted from manual and decentralised processes used before digitization.
- Some State/UT CEO offices used the same EPIC series, leading to identical numbers across states.
- ERONET (Election Roll Management System) was later introduced for better electoral roll management.
Steps Taken by the EC
- Commitment to assign unique EPIC numbers to each voter.
- ERONET 2.0 update planned for seamless rectification of duplicate IDs.
- Ensuring transparency and voter roll integrity ahead of future elections.
Political Controversy
- West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee alleged that:
- BJP is manipulating voter rolls with EC’s support.
- Duplicate EPIC numbers are used to add out-of-state voters to Bengal’s list.
- EC dismissed allegations, calling it an issue of past administrative practices.
Implications
- Trust in electoral process: Ensuring unique IDs strengthens credibility.
- Political ramifications: Opposition parties may continue raising concerns over electoral transparency.
- Upcoming elections: Resolution of this issue is crucial before the 2026 West Bengal Assembly polls.
