TMC demands unique ID for voter cards, accuses BJP of manipulating electoral rolls

A delegation of the ruling Trinamool Congress met the chief electoral officer (CEO) of West Bengal on Thursday, demanding that ‘unique ID’ be introduced on voter cards to prevent the induction of fake voters in the electoral rolls.

Earlier in the day, TMC leaders held a meeting with district functionaries to review findings of a door-to-door scrutiny of electoral rolls, alleging that BJP has been manipulating the voters’ list ahead of next year’s assembly election, with the meeting focusing on addressing detected irregularities and finalising the party’s strategy to counter the issue.

The TMC delegation that called on the CEO was led by the party’s state president Subrata Bakshi and included state ministers Firhad Hakim, Arup Biswas, Chandrima Bhattacharya, and Rajya Sabha MP Ritabrata Banerjee.

After submitting the memorandum, Firhad Hakim said, “BJP is trying to turn the elections in West Bengal into a farce. It is unacceptable for the same EPIC (Electors Photo Identity Card) number to exist across different states. Just as Aadhaar and passports have unique identification numbers, voter cards too must have a unique ID.”

Hakim added that this marks the beginning of a new movement under Mamata Banerjee’s leadership for voter card reform, similar to her 1993 demand for photo identification in elections.

He accused BJP of manipulating voter lists to gain power in Delhi and Maharashtra by adding fake voters.

Citing data from the Delhi Assembly elections of 2020 and 2025, Hakim claimed that the number of voters increased abnormally in a short span, similar to the voter surge in West Bengal from the 2024 Lok Sabha election to date.

“The growth in voters in Delhi over five years was almost identical to the rise in West Bengal in just seven months. This is unnatural,” he remarked.

Hakim also emphasised the need for physical verification of voter names added online and urged the Election Commission to ensure that electors from other states do not cast their votes in West Bengal.

Last week, West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee accused BJP of inserting “outsider” voters into the electoral rolls with alleged backing from the Election Commission. She claimed that BJP had used similar tactics in Haryana, Maharashtra, and Delhi in previous elections.

Following that, TMC state president Subrata Bakshi issued directives to district-level leaders to conduct a thorough verification of voter lists.

The verification process was completed within 10 days, and district presidents and chairpersons reported their findings during Thursday’s meeting.

A special committee, formed by Mamata Banerjee to oversee the matter, includes senior leaders such as Abhishek Banerjee, Derek O’Brien, Sudip Bandyopadhyay, and others.

At a rally in Durgapur on Wednesday, TMC MP Kirti Azad alleged that BJP had used the Election Commission to manipulate electoral processes in other states.

State BJP leader Agnimitra Pal dismissed TMC’s claims, stating that people are aware of the party that is genuinely leading the country’s progress.

She termed TMC’s allegations as baseless.

The CEO of West Bengal, responding to Mamata Banerjee’s allegations, stated that the voter list updating process is being carried out with the active participation of booth level officers (BLOs) appointed by political parties. The CEO urged parties to raise specific concerns with BLOs, assistant electoral registration officers (AEROs), and electoral registration officers (EROs).