Duplication of voter card numbers doesn't imply fake voters: Election Commission

The ECI also said that though some EPIC numbers may be identical, other details like demographic details, assembly constituency and polling booth are different.

Published on: Mar 2, 2025, 13:11:40 IST

By HT News Desk

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The Election Commission of India (ECI) responded to claims flagging the issuance of identical voter card numbers on Sunday, stating that the duplication of the voter card numbers did not necessarily mean that there were fake voters, reported PTI.

Representational picture: The ECI has said that duplicate EPIC numbers don't necessarily indicate fake voters (Raju Shinde/Hindustan Times)

Also Read: TMC leaders begin house-to-house survey to identify fake voters in Bengal

The issue of fake voters had been flagged during elections in two different states, however the poll panel explained that identical EPIC numbers or series were allotted to some electors due to a "decentralised and manual mechanism" being followed before the electoral roll database of all states was shifted to the ERONET platform.

Also Read: Mamata accuses BJP of manipulating voters' list, warns of ‘indefinite’ dharna before EC

They also clarified that though the EPIC numbers of some voters "may be identical", their demographic details, assembly constituency and polling booth remained different.

"Irrespective of the EPIC number, any elector can cast a vote only at their designated polling station in their respective constituency in their state or union territory where they are enrolled in the electoral roll and nowhere else," the ECI said.

Also Read: '39 lakh voters in 5 months': Rahul Gandhi vs Devendra Fadnavis over Maharashtra polls ‘anomaly’

The election body said that this had resulted in a few state chief electoral officers allotting the same EPIC numbers to electors in different assembly constituencies in different states.

According to the ECI's website, ERONET aids election officials in maintenance of the electoral system "by removing duplicate entries and inclusion of migrated electors".

"To allay any apprehensions, the commission has decided to ensure allotment of unique EPIC number to registered electors. Any case of duplicate EPIC number will be rectified by allotting a unique EPIC number," the ECI said.

The ERONET 2.0 platform will also be updated keeping this issue in mind to aid voters.

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