Will resolve duplicate voter IDs issue in 3 months: Election Commission

Amid allegations of a cover-up on the issue of duplicate voter identity card numbers, the Election Commission (EC) on Friday said it will address the “decades-long” matter in the next three months.

In a statement, the poll authority said India’s electoral rolls are the biggest database of electors across the globe with over 99 crore registered voters.

“As regards the issue of duplicate Electoral Photo Identity Card (EPIC) numbers, the Commission has already taken cognisance of the matter. 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,” it asserted.

The poll authority said it has now decided to resolve this “long-pending issue” after detailed discussions within the technical teams and concerned state chief electoral officers in the next three months by ensuring a “unique national EPIC number” to the existing electors having a duplicate EPIC number. The new system will be applicable for future electors as well, it added.

The Trinamool Congress (TMC) flagged the issue of duplicate voter identity card numbers in different states and accused the EC of a cover-up. PTI