Mamata Banerjee's Allegations
West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee accused the BJP of using the Election Commission’s (EC) support to add voters from other states to the West Bengal voters' list.
She cited instances of multiple voters having the same Electors Photo Identity Card (EPIC) number.
The EC responded, stating that voters can only cast votes at their designated polling stations, and would address any duplications.
What is an EPIC Card?
EPIC is a 10-digit unique voter ID number issued by the EC, introduced in 1993 to prevent voter impersonation.
It is assigned to each voter upon registration and is linked to their state and constituency data to maintain regional uniqueness.
The EPIC system is managed via the ERONET platform, which automates voter registration and electoral roll management.
EC’s Explanation
The EC clarified that identical EPIC numbers issued to voters in different states were due to manual and decentralized processes before transitioning to the ERONET platform.
It assured that while EPIC numbers may be duplicated, the demographic details, constituency, and polling booth would differ.
The EC committed to assigning unique EPIC numbers to voters to eliminate duplicates and update the ERONET platform for better management.
Trinamool Congress' Reactions
Trinamool MP Saket Gokhale rejected the EC's explanation, claiming that voters with identical EPIC numbers could face issues due to photo mismatches.
He argued that such mismatches would prevent voters from casting their ballots, particularly targeting non-BJP voters.
Gokhale alleged that this practice was part of a conspiracy to suppress votes in non-BJP areas and vowed to provide more evidence to back the claim.
COMMENTS