Election commission on Delhi Identical voter card Nos and Fake voters

Amid reports flagging issuance of duplicate voter card number, Election Commission says it will rectify issue, update platform.

New Delhi:
Following reports of identical voter card numbers being issued to electors in two different states, the Election Commission addressed the issue on Sunday, assuring that corrective measures would be taken and its technology-driven platform updated. The commission emphasized that such duplicate numbers do not necessarily indicate the presence of fake voters. While some electors may share identical elector photo identity card (EPIC) numbers, the other details such as demographic information, assembly constituency, and polling booth remain distinct.

The Election Commission clarified that, irrespective of the EPIC number, each elector is eligible to vote only at their designated polling station within their respective constituency in the state or Union Territory where they are enrolled. It emphasized that no elector can vote in multiple locations based on identical EPIC numbers.

The commission explained that the issue of identical EPIC numbers arose from a decentralized and manual system that was in place before the electoral roll database of all states was transferred to the ERONET (Electoral Roll Management) platform. This outdated system led to certain state chief electoral officers using the same alphanumeric EPIC series, which resulted in the possibility of duplicate EPIC numbers being assigned to electors in different assembly constituencies across states and Union Territories.

To address the concerns, the Election Commission highlighted that ERONET, a modern platform, helps remove duplicate entries and includes migrated electors to maintain a clean and efficient electoral roll. The commission has committed to assigning a unique EPIC number to all registered electors, and any instance of duplicate numbers will be corrected by issuing a distinct EPIC number to affected individuals.

PTI