The Election Commission clarified that the duplication of EPIC numbers on voter ID cards does not indicate fake voters, attributing it to past manual processes before digitalization. This comes after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee accused the BJP of manipulating voter rolls with duplicate EPIC numbers. The Commission will rectify these duplications by issuing unique EPIC numbers moving forward. Banerjee claims that the BJP’s tactics contributed to their electoral victories in other states, suggesting they aim to disrupt West Bengal’s electoral integrity. BJP leader Amit Malviya dismissed her allegations, criticizing her for spreading misinformation.
New Delhi:
The Election Commission has clarified today that duplicate EPIC numbers on voter ID cards do not indicate the presence of fake voters. The commission explained that this duplication arose from a decentralized, manual process that was in place prior to the migration of the voters’ database to a digital format. However, the Election Commission assured that these duplications will be addressed by assigning unique EPIC numbers to all voters.
This clarification comes shortly after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee pointed out the duplication of EPIC numbers and accused the BJP of collaborating with the Election Commission to incorporate fake voters into the state’s electoral rolls ahead of the Assembly elections next year. “I possess evidence from all districts. Names of individuals from Haryana and Gujarat are listed alongside those of West Bengal residents under the same EPIC (Election Photo Identity Card) number. Fake voters have been registered online,” Ms. Banerjee alleged.
The chief of Trinamool stated that opposition parties in Maharashtra and Delhi failed to detect this tactic. “But we did. That’s how the BJP secured victories in Maharashtra and Delhi. Now, they are focusing on West Bengal. We will react strongly,” she declared, adding, “It is clear how the BJP is manipulating the voters’ list with the support of the Election Commission.”
The Election Commission’s statement did not mention Ms. Banerjee specifically but indicated that it was aware of social media discussions and news reports highlighting duplicate EPIC numbers associated with individuals from various states. “In this context, it is clarified that while some electors may have identical EPIC numbers, their other details, including demographic information, Assembly Constituency, and polling booth, differ. Regardless of the EPIC number, any elector can only vote at their designated polling station located in their corresponding Constituency in their State/UT where they are registered,” it stated.
The commission elaborated that this duplication stemmed from the decentralized and manual system implemented before transitioning the electoral roll database of states to the ERONET platform. “This led to certain State/UT CEO offices utilizing the same EPIC alphanumeric series, thereby creating the potential for duplicate EPIC numbers to be issued to electors across different Assembly Constituencies in distinct States/UTs.”
“To alleviate any concerns, the Commission has decided to guarantee the issuance of unique EPIC numbers to registered electors. Any occurrences of duplicate EPIC numbers will be corrected by assigning a unique EPIC number. The ERONET 2.0 platform will be enhanced to assist in this process,” the Election Commission added.
Another claim by Mamata Banerjee regarding voter roll manipulation has been debunked. It is unfortunate that the Bengal Chief Minister resorts to misinformation in an attempt to prepare for her likely defeat in 2026 and undermine voters’ trust in the electoral system.
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The Election… pic.twitter.com/YL5RSqZlZS
— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) March 2, 2025
Following the clarification from the poll body, senior BJP leader and the party’s Bengal co-incharge Amit Malviya stated that yet another “lie” from Ms. Banerjee has been disproven. “It is regrettable that the Bengal Chief Minister resorts to misinformation to set the stage for her likely defeat in 2026 and erode voters’ confidence in the electoral system,” he mentioned in a post on X.
Mr. Malviya urged the Election Commission to prioritize cleaning up the voter rolls in Bengal “and to eliminate illegal Bangladeshi and Rohingya settlers, whom the TMC has positioned throughout the state as Mamata Banerjee’s vote bank.” “The ECI must also prevent TMC’s attempts to remove the names of linguistic minorities and Hindu refugees—including the Matua community, who fled religious persecution and settled in Bengal—from the voter roll,” he advocated.