EC's clarification on duplicate voter ID numbers a cover-up: TMC

New Delhi: Trinamool Congress on Tuesday sought to debunk the Election Commission's clarifications on multiple voter ID cards having identical numbers, calling it a “cover-up” after citing the poll body's guidelines to insist that two cards cannot have the same number.

As its 24 hour deadline for the EC to “accept its mistake” ended, the party alleged that the developments “clearly reeks of a conspiracy to conduct voter suppression in favor of the BJP” where voters in non-BJP areas are being targeted by issuing their Electoral Photo Identity Card (EPIC) numbers to people in other states.

Sharing the relevant portions of the EC's ‘Handbook For Electoral Registration Officers’ on voter ID cards, Trinamool MP Saket Gokhale said on ‘X’ that a duplicate EPIC number will lead to denial of voting as it is linked to voter details.

“This raises serious questions about the actions and credibility of the EC, especially considering that the Election Commissioners are now appointed by the Modi government by majority…If the EC is compromised on behalf of BJP, there is zero possibility of elections being free and fair,” he said.

Claiming that the “exposed” EC “wants to brazen it out”, he said the clarification was “actually a cover-up” and it “contradicts” their own rules and guidelines. He urged the EC to “stop this eyewash and give clear answers” on how many EPIC cards bear the same number.

Countering EC’s claim that EPIC cards with the same numbers were issued to multiple voters as certain states used the same “alphanumeric series”, Gokhale referred to the handbook and said it is “impossible” as Functional Unique Serial Numbers (FUSN) are “unique” for every seat and “is provided by the EC”.

“EPIC card numbers are an alphanumeric sequence of three letters and seven digits. The ECI handbook clearly states that the three letters, known as FUSN, are different for every Assembly constituency...How is it then that the same EPIC numbers as voters in West Bengal have been allotted to random people in Haryana, Gujarat, and other states?” he said.

Finding fault with EC's clarification that people can vote in the constituency where they are enrolled and two persons having the same EPIC number cannot vote wherever they wanted, Gokhale said the voter is linked to his photo by the EPIC number.

He expressed concern that if a voter in Bengal goes to cast their vote, their photo on the voters’ list could be different if the same EPIC number has been allotted to someone in another state. “By allotting the same EPIC numbers in different states, voting can be denied to those who are likely to vote for non-BJP parties due to photo mismatch,” he claimed.

Stressing that the EC guidelines mandate that the software keeps track of every used and unused EPIC number to ensure that the same number is not allotted to a second voter, Gokhale said EPIC number links the details of voters with their photo, which is considered to be a ‘permanent unique ID’.

It is “impossible” that any “error” can lead to the same EPIC numbers being allotted to multiple people in different states, he added.