Duplication of Voter IDs Means 'Not Fake'

The Election Commission (EC) clarified that duplication in EPIC numbers on voter ID cards does not indicate fake voters. The poll body attributed this issue to a past manual system before transitioning to a digital database. To resolve the duplication, the EC plans to assign unique EPIC numbers to all voters.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee accused the BJP and the EC of adding fake voters to the electoral rolls ahead of the Assembly elections. She claimed to have evidence of voter ID numbers being shared by individuals from different states. The EC, however, stated that while EPIC numbers may be identical, voter details and polling stations remain distinct.

BJP leader Amit Malviya dismissed Ms. Banerjee’s claims, accusing her of misinformation. He urged the EC to clean up Bengal’s voter list by removing illegal settlers and preventing any deletion of linguistic minorities and Hindu refugees.