NEW DELHI: The Election Fee EC on Friday introduced that it’ll resolve the longstanding challenge of duplicate Electors Photograph Id Card (EPIC) numbers inside the subsequent three months. In an official assertion, the fee acknowledged the presence of a number of voters with the identical EPIC numbers as a result of previous discrepancies within the allotment course of. This comes as West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee and Congress raised the difficulty accusing the ballot physique of voters record manipulation to favor the BJP.
In an official assertion, the EC clarified that regardless of duplication, all electors linked to the electoral roll of a selected polling station can solely vote at that designated location, making certain no misuse of duplicate IDs. A pattern verification of over 100 voters with an identical EPIC numbers confirmed that they had been real electors.
“Regardless of an EPIC quantity, an elector who’s linked to the electoral roll of a selected polling station can solid his vote at that polling station solely and nowhere else,” the fee said in its official launch.

The difficulty arose as a result of incorrect collection utilization when the EPIC system was launched within the 12 months 2000. Since particular person states and union territories managed electoral roll databases independently, errors in numbering went undetected on the nationwide stage.
“It’s a matter of electoral integrity. We’ve taken cognizance of the difficulty and are dedicated to making sure a singular nationwide EPIC quantity for all voters,” mentioned Anuj Chandak, director on the election fee.
To rectify this, the fee will guarantee a singular nationwide EPIC quantity for all current voters with duplicate numbers and for brand spanking new electors sooner or later.